You don’t strictly need credit to rent a house, but you should expect most landlords to ask for it. No federal or state law sets a minimum credit score for renting, and screening standards are entirely up to the landlord. Some insist on a score above 700. Others skip the credit check and lean on income, references, or a larger deposit. If your credit is thin, damaged, or nonexistent, you still have options, but you’ll need to know what landlords look at and how to work around a weak file.
No Law Sets a Minimum Score
There is no federal statute that establishes a credit score floor for renting a home. A landlord renting a single-family house in a competitive market may demand strong credit and high income. A landlord across town may not run a credit check at all. Both are operating within the law.
The one hard limit on screening is the Fair Housing Act. Under 42 U.S.C. § 3604, a landlord cannot refuse to rent, or offer different terms, because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 U.S. Code 3604 – Discrimination in the Sale or Rental of Housing A screening rule that looks neutral but pushes out applicants in a protected class can still break the law if the landlord can’t tie it to a legitimate purpose. Many states and cities add protected categories, such as source of income or immigration status, so the list of things a landlord can’t hold against you may be longer where you live.
What a Landlord Actually Checks
Landlords who do run credit are looking at a handful of things, weighted differently depending on the property and the market.
Payment History
Have you paid bills on time, or have you fallen behind by 30, 60, or 90 days? A pattern of late payments signals that rent may also arrive late. One late payment years ago carries far less weight than a recent string of missed ones.
Debt Compared to Income
If car loans, student loans, and credit card minimums already take a large share of your monthly income, a landlord may doubt you can add rent on top. Many landlords want housing costs to stay below roughly 30 percent of gross monthly income. That’s a common guideline, not a legal rule.
Evictions and Judgments
Prior eviction filings and court judgments for unpaid rent are among the most damaging items in a screening file. They suggest a tenancy ended in court. Some tenant screening reports pull eviction records separately from the credit report itself.
How Long Bad Marks Stick
Federal law caps how long negative information can appear on a consumer report. Bankruptcies can show for up to 10 years from the filing date. Most other adverse items — civil judgments, collections, charged-off accounts — drop off after seven years.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1681c – Requirements Relating to Information Contained in Consumer Reports If something old is still on your file, you can dispute it.
Medical Debt
Medical debt is a moving target. The three largest credit bureaus voluntarily stopped reporting paid medical debts, debts less than a year old, and medical debts under $500 starting in 2023. The CFPB finalized a broader rule in early 2025 to strip all medical debt from credit reports, but a federal court vacated that rule in July 2025. Some medical debts may still appear depending on the amount and each bureau’s current policy. Pull your own report before applying if you’re worried about it.
Consent and What You Hand Over
A landlord can’t pull your credit without your permission. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires a permissible purpose for any consumer report, and in the rental context landlords typically get that purpose by having you sign a written authorization on the application.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1681b – Permissible Purposes of Consumer Reports The FTC’s guidance to landlords confirms that written consent demonstrates permissible purpose.4Federal Trade Commission. Using Consumer Reports: What Landlords Need to Know
Read that authorization block before signing. If you refuse to consent, most landlords will treat the application as incomplete and move on.
To run the check, the landlord or the screening company they use will need:
- Your full legal name, so the report matches the right person.
- Your Social Security number, or in some cases an ITIN. The IRS notes that ITINs are issued for federal tax purposes and aren’t designed as general identification, and not every screening service can pull a report using one.5Internal Revenue Service. Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)
- Previous addresses, which help the screener separate you from people with similar names.
Landlords generally charge an application fee to cover screening costs. Some states cap the fee at the landlord’s actual out-of-pocket cost, and a few states ban application fees outright. Where fees are unregulated, expect roughly $25 to $75.
Before you pay anyone else to pull your credit, pull it yourself. Federal law entitles you to one free credit report every 12 months from each of the three major bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com.6AnnualCreditReport.com. Your Rights to Your Free Annual Credit Reports Seeing what a landlord will see lets you catch errors and skip applications you’re unlikely to win.
If You Have Little or No Credit
No credit history isn’t a dealbreaker. Landlords see this all the time with young adults, recent immigrants, and people who’ve simply never used credit. A few approaches usually work.
A Co-Signer or Guarantor
A co-signer takes on full legal responsibility for the rent if you don’t pay. They sign the lease with you, and the landlord can go after them in court for any unpaid rent or damages. Landlords usually want the co-signer to have strong credit and verifiable income. Anyone you ask should understand that they’re on the hook for the entire lease term.
Proof of Income or Assets
Some landlords will accept bank statements showing enough savings to cover several months of rent, recent pay stubs, or an employer letter confirming salary. That evidence lets a landlord judge your ability to pay without a credit track record.
A Larger Security Deposit
Offering more up front lowers the landlord’s risk. Many states cap security deposits, though — limits range from one month’s rent to three months’ rent depending on the state, and some states set no cap. Check your state’s rule before agreeing to a larger deposit.
Reporting Rent to Build Credit
On-time rent can help you build the credit you’ll need for the next application. Fannie Mae’s positive rent payment reporting program lets mortgage lenders count 12 consecutive months of on-time rent when evaluating a borrower.7Fannie Mae. Positive Rent Payment Reporting Third-party rent reporting services will submit your payment history to credit bureaus, gradually building a file from nothing.
If You Get Denied
If a landlord rejects your application, requires a co-signer, or raises the deposit because of something in your credit or screening report, they owe you an adverse action notice. The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires it whether the decision is an outright denial or just less favorable terms.8Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Should I Do if My Rental Application Is Denied Because of a Tenant Screening Report
That notice must include the name, address, and phone number of the reporting agency that supplied the report, a statement that the agency did not make the rental decision and can’t explain it, and notice of your right to a free copy of the report if you ask within 60 days.4Federal Trade Commission. Using Consumer Reports: What Landlords Need to Know That free report is separate from the annual one at AnnualCreditReport.com.
If the report contains something inaccurate — a debt that isn’t yours, a paid collection still marked unpaid, or an item that should have aged off — you can dispute it directly with the reporting agency. Once the agency receives your dispute, it generally has 30 days to investigate and either verify, correct, or delete the item.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681i – Procedure in Case of Disputed Accuracy If the furnisher can’t verify the disputed data, the reporting agency must delete it.10Federal Trade Commission. Consumer Reports: What Information Furnishers Need to Know
After a correction posts, ask the landlord whether they’ll reconsider. Some will. The faster route, though, is to check and clean up your report before you ever fill out an application.