How to Find Your Rental History Report
Get clear steps to find your rental history report, understand its details, and correct any inaccuracies for future applications.
Rental history provides a record of an individual’s past tenancy, detailing their conduct as a renter. This documentation includes information about lease agreements, payment patterns, and adherence to property rules. For individuals seeking new housing, this report serves as a factor in a landlord’s decision-making process.
Sources for Your Rental History
Obtaining a copy of your rental history involves several avenues, beginning with direct contact with your former landlords or property management entities. These parties maintain records of your tenancy, including payment ledgers and notes on property condition or conduct. You can request a statement detailing your tenancy period, rent paid, and whether you fulfilled all lease obligations.
Personal financial records also serve as a source for reconstructing your rental history. Lease agreements, rent payment receipts, cancelled checks, and bank statements showing rent debits provide evidence of your payment history. Records of security deposit returns or documented repairs can also be valuable. Maintaining these documents throughout your tenancy ensures you have a personal history readily available.
Rental payment data may also appear on your credit report, particularly if your landlord reported payments to credit bureaus or if a collection agency became involved due to unpaid rent. While not all landlords report rental payments, checking your credit report from the three major credit bureaus—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion—can reveal any rental-related accounts or collections. You are entitled to a free copy of your credit report annually from each bureau through AnnualCreditReport.com.
Tenant screening reports, compiled by specialized consumer reporting agencies, are another source for your rental history. These agencies gather data from various public and private sources to create tenant profiles for landlords. You have the right to request a copy of any report compiled about you by these agencies, similar to how you would request a credit report.
Information in Rental History Records
A rental history record typically contains information about a tenant’s previous residencies, providing landlords with insights into their reliability. This often includes the duration of tenancy, specified by the move-in and move-out dates, and the monthly rent amount. A focus is on payment timeliness, noting whether rent was consistently paid on schedule or if there were instances of late payments.
Beyond financial aspects, these records may also detail instances of lease violations or property damage beyond normal wear and tear. Information regarding any evictions, including court filings and judgments, is a prominent feature of these reports. Some reports might include notes on tenant behavior, such as noise complaints.
Correcting Errors in Your Rental History
Upon reviewing your rental history report, if you identify any inaccuracies, initiating a dispute process is a step. Begin by gathering all supporting documentation that contradicts the incorrect information, such as canceled checks, bank statements, lease agreements, or correspondence with landlords. This evidence is important for substantiating your claim.
If the error originates from a consumer reporting agency, you should formally dispute the information directly with that agency in writing. The agency is required to investigate your claim within a specific timeframe, typically 30 days, by contacting the information provider. Should the investigation confirm the information is inaccurate or cannot be verified, the agency must remove or correct it.
Alternatively, if the inaccuracy stems from a previous landlord, you should contact them directly to request a correction, providing them with copies of your supporting documentation. If the landlord agrees to amend their records, request written confirmation of the changes and ensure they update any reporting agencies they use. If the dispute is denied by the agency or landlord, you may consider filing a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).