Credit report question

[Caleb Campbell]

Hello, I have a question about a potential tenants credit report, from Zillow Rental manager and Experian. The credit report results for this potential tenant and her fiancé came back with N/A for on time payments and credit used. Monthly payments and debt say zero. Is this a glitch in the system? Is there nothing to report because they have no debt? They both only have 550 credit scores, so I’m questioning the accuracy here. Please help....thanks

(Also trying to contact Zillow or experian yields no results, as it will not allow you to talk to a human)

[Nathan Gesner]

They haven't established credit. It could be there are too young. It could be they follow Dave Ramsey and pay cash for everything. Talk to the applicants and ask for an explanation.

Why do we run credit checks? To confirm the applicant's ability to meet their financial obligations. If they have no established credit history, then you have to use a different method of verification like talking to former Landlords, checking bank accounts, etc. Or you may decide to reduce your risk by having them pay a higher deposit, several months rent in advance, etc.