Zillow Lets Renters Report Payments to Credit Bureaus

Zillow is offering a tool designed to let renters build credit through rent payments.

CreditClimb, announced by the real estate company Wednesday (Nov. 19), lets renters have their on-time payments reported to the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — for $20 per year. It also allows renters to monitor their credit score and add up to two years of previous rent payments to their report, helping them more quickly build credit.

“Renters have more options when they have paths to establish and strengthen their credit,” Michael Sherman, senior vice president of Zillow Rentals, said in a news release.

“That can mean qualifying for better financing, securing their next rental or moving confidently toward homeownership. With CreditClimb, renters can use the rental payments they already make to build credit and strengthen their financial future.”

The release notes that close to 87% of renters don’t see rent payments reflected in their credit reports, making it harder for them to accomplish the things Sherman described. But renters who use programs from Esusu — Zillow’s partner in CreditClimb — have seen an average credit score increase of 45 points after consistent on-time reporting, the release added.

The launch of CreditClimb comes as more rent payments are being reported to credit reporting agencies, according to findings from TransUnion released in September.

The share of consumers whose rent payments are reported climbed from 11% in 2024 to 13% this year 2025, the global information and insights company said.

At the same time, the number of property managers who are aware of and take part in rent payment reporting fell from 48% to 44%, the first decrease found by TransUnion in the four years it has been conducting this analysis.

Together, these trends suggest that consumers could be self-reporting their rent payments using third-party data furnishers, TransUnion said.

“Rent payment reporting is well documented as a means to improve credit scores and financial inclusion, so I’m happy to see that more consumers are empowered to participate,” Maitri Johnson, senior vice president and head of TransUnion’s tenant and employment screening business, said in the release.

In related news, recent PYMNTS Intelligence data finds that consumers want more credit without necessarily wanting new credit cards. The research found that building or improving a credit score is the chief reason consumers without active credit cards give for wanting one.

“That same desire to optimize scores now animates how cardholders think about credit limits,” PYMNTS wrote earlier this week.

“Of those who requested a higher limit, 52% did so to gain financial flexibility, 39% did so to improve their credit scores and 29% were prepping for a large purchase.”