How to Report a Tenant to the Credit Bureau

Getting back rent from a tenant who's already been evicted or moved is often impossible. There are options available to landlords, such as small claims court. However, getting current information on delinquent ex-tenants isn't easy. Some opt to hire collections agencies to recover the money, but the fees can make such an endeavor ineffective. Another option is to report the tenant to the credit bureau.

Things You'll Need

• Original lease

Instructions

1. Gather all of the tenant's pertinent information. You can find this on the lease signed when he first moved in. The credit reporting agency will require the tenant's social security number, birth date, address--which doesn't have to be current--and any job information that you may have.

2. Open and account with one or all of the credit bureaus. The credit bureaus are Equifax, Trans Union and Experian. There is a fee involved for each account. However, the fee allows you to access to other features such as credit checking in addition to credit reporting. Get an account with all three agencies to ensure that the debt is well reported--some debts show up in some reports differently than others. A debt that appears on all three reports is more difficult to dispute (see Resources below).

3. Provide the credit bureau with the information on the debt and the personal information on the tenant. The personal information is used to not only get the delinquent rent reported on the credit report but to ensure that you are reporting the right person. Reporting the tenant to the credit bureaus is as easy as filling in a form in each account and with each agency.

4. Report delinquent tenant businesses to D&B or Dunn and Bradstreet Inc. This credit bureau handles reports for businesses while the other three handles individual reports. To make a report, you must open an account with D&B, which also requires a fee. Then fill in their reporting form (see Resources below).

Tips & Warnings

• You can report a good tenant to the credit bureau to help strengthen their credit. Do so using the same steps listed here.

• Don't sign up for software or programs who claim that they can report the debts to all of the agencies for you. The fees charged here are often more than the combined fees for opening separate accounts with each credit bureau. Such companies are also fraud, taking your money without performing the service.

Resources

• D&B Inc
• Equifax Credit Bureau
• Transunion Credit Bureau
• Experian Credit Bureau