Soft Credit Check vs Hard Credit Check for Renters: What's the Difference?
The short answer
Apartment applications often involve credit checks, but not all are the same. Learn the difference between a soft pull and a hard pull — and how to protect your credit score while apartment hunting.
When you apply for an apartment, the landlord typically checks your credit. But what kind of credit check do they run — and does it affect your credit score? Understanding the difference between a soft pull and a hard pull can help you protect your credit while apartment hunting.
What Is a Hard Credit Inquiry?
A hard credit inquiry (also called a hard pull) is a full credit check that shows up on your credit report. It typically:
- Reduces your credit score by 2–10 points (temporarily)
- Remains on your credit report for 2 years
- Can be seen by future lenders and landlords
- Requires your written consent
Hard inquiries are standard when applying for credit cards, mortgages, and many rental applications.
What Is a Soft Credit Inquiry?
A soft credit inquiry (soft pull) checks some or all of your credit file but does not affect your credit score. It:
- Is invisible to other lenders and landlords
- Only shows on your own credit report
- Doesn't require your explicit credit consent (for pre-screening)
- Is often used for pre-qualification, background checks, and employer checks
Which One Do Landlords Use?
It depends on the landlord and the screening service they use:
- Large property management companies typically run hard pulls through services like TransUnion SmartMove, Experian RentBureau, or Equifax rental screening.
- Private landlords sometimes run soft pulls, especially through platforms like Avail, Cozy, or TenantCloud.
- Some landlords run a hard pull only after selecting a preferred applicant to avoid unnecessary inquiries on rejected candidates.
Always ask the landlord whether they run a hard or soft inquiry before authorizing a credit check.
Can Multiple Hard Inquiries Hurt Your Score During Apartment Hunting?
Yes — multiple hard inquiries from different landlords can add up. Unlike mortgage shopping (where multiple inquiries within 30–45 days are counted as one), rental inquiries are usually treated individually.
If you're applying to multiple apartments at once, ask landlords to use a soft pull during initial screening, or provide your own credit report from Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion VantageScore 4.0.
Does Settl Check Your Credit?
Yes — but it's always a soft pull. The Settl Verified Passport includes a TransUnion credit check via CRS (Stitch Credit), and it is always a soft pull — meaning it does not affect your credit score and is not visible to other lenders. This is one of the 8 verified data layers in your $99 Passport, alongside biometric identity (Didit), bank income ceiling (Plaid), rent payment history (Plaid), payroll and employer verification (Argyle), landlord references you control, criminal background, and eviction history.
Landlords who receive your Settl Verified Passport link see the credit results bundled into your complete, standardized report — at no cost to them. The credit check is included in your one-time $99 fee, so no landlord can charge you again to re-run it. Under Colorado's HB25-1236 law, landlords are required to accept PTSR-compliant reports like Settl.
How to Protect Your Credit While Apartment Hunting
- Ask landlords whether they run a hard or soft pull
- Limit applications to apartments you're seriously considering
- Provide your own credit report to avoid multiple hard pulls
- Use a Settl Verified Passport — the included TransUnion credit check is a soft pull only, bundled with 7 other verified data layers, shareable with unlimited landlords for 30 days
- Monitor your credit during the search with a free service like Credit Karma or Experian's free monitoring
Get Verified Once. Share Everywhere.
With a Settl Verified Passport ($99 one-time, valid 30 days), you give landlords the complete financial picture they need — verified income as a rent ceiling, biometric identity, employment history, rent payment history, landlord references, and a soft-pull credit check — without the score impact of hard inquiries. Straight from the source. Start your Settl Verified Passport here →
Settl Editorial
Settl Editorial
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