How do I help my tenants credit score?

[Effram Barrett]

I have had a tenant in place for almost a year who looked like a bad renter on paper (low credit score, fluctuating income, criminal history, etc) but she turned out to be the dream tenant. This woman pays on time, or even early; she also treats the place as her own so it’s very neat and tidy. She was turned away from every other landlord or mega apartment complex because of her credit score (she went through a divorce) but I want to help her increase it because she has been great as a renter. Is there somewhere I can report her payments to to help her credit score? This will hopefully increase her chances of securing a loan in case she is interested in buying I. The future as well.

[Marcia Maynard]

Kudos to you for taking a chance with a person who was facing many housing barriers, yet was worthy of your trust. Kudos to her for doing her part. Glad it's working well for both of you!

You can set it up an account with Cozy (a third party who has credit reporting capability) for your tenant to pay her rent through a them.  https://cozy.co/for-renters/pay-rent-online/  We like Cozy for a number of services they provide. We are slowly transitioning more of our operation to this online platform and so far have been pleased.

There are other third party companies that will provide the credit reporting service too, but not all are the same. Some can be initiated by the tenant, some by the landlord. A google search will show you some other options.