What Is a Rental Credit Check? (And How to Prepare)
The short answer
Most landlords run a credit check before approving you. Here is what they see, what matters most, and how to prepare your credit profile before applying.
What Is a Rental Credit Check?
When you apply for an apartment, most landlords run a credit check — a review of your credit history from one or more of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion VantageScore 4.0). Here is what it includes and what landlords care about.
What Shows Up in a Rental Credit Check
A rental credit report typically includes:
- Credit score: Usually FICO or VantageScore; most landlords look for 620-700+
- Payment history: On-time payments, late payments, defaults
- Outstanding debt: Credit card balances, student loans, auto loans
- Collections: Unpaid debts sent to collection agencies
- Bankruptcies: Chapter 7 (stays 10 years) or Chapter 13 (stays 7 years)
- Evictions: Reported by some screening agencies (not always on standard credit reports)
- Public records: Judgments, liens
What Landlords Look For
Different landlords weight factors differently, but common thresholds include:
| Factor | Typical Landlord Standard |
|---|---|
| Credit score | 620 minimum; 680+ preferred |
| Collections | Any recent collection is a concern |
| Evictions | Most landlords decline if present |
| Bankruptcy | Usually concerns; case-by-case |
| Late payments | Pattern of lates is concerning; isolated incidents less so |
Hard vs. Soft Credit Inquiry
- Hard inquiry: Appears on your credit report and temporarily reduces your score (5-10 points). Most rental credit checks are hard inquiries.
- Soft inquiry: Does not affect your score. The Settl Verified Passport uses a soft pull via TransUnion — your score is not impacted.
Multiple hard inquiries within a short window for the same type of credit (auto loans, mortgages) are often grouped. For rental applications, each landlord typically pulls separately, which means applying to many landlords sequentially can chip away at your score. A single Settl verification shared across unlimited landlords eliminates this problem entirely.
Tip: Apply to your top choices in a concentrated period to limit score impact.
How to Check Your Credit Before Applying
You are entitled to one free credit report from each bureau annually at AnnualCreditReport.com. This is a soft pull — it does not affect your score.
Review your report for:
- Errors or unfamiliar accounts (dispute immediately at each bureau)
- Collections you may have forgotten
- Negative items that are past their reporting period (7 years for most; 10 for bankruptcies)
How to Improve Your Credit Before Applying
Short-term (30-90 days):
- Pay down credit card balances to below 30% of the credit limit
- Become an authorized user on a family member's long-standing account
- Make sure there are no missed payments in the past 12 months
Longer-term:
- Dispute and remove errors
- Keep old accounts open (length of history matters)
- Avoid opening new credit accounts before applying
If Your Credit Is Limited or Poor
Options include:
- Explaining derogatory items with context in a cover letter
- Offering a larger security deposit
- Providing a guarantor with strong credit
- Targeting smaller individual landlords with more flexibility
- Getting a Settl Verified Passport to show verified income, identity, and financial history as compensating factors — landlords see a complete picture, not just a credit score
Settl and Credit Checks
The Settl Verified Passport includes a TransUnion soft-pull credit check as one of its 8 verified data layers. Because it is a soft inquiry, it does not affect your credit score — and because your Settl report is valid for 30 days and shareable with unlimited landlords, you only take that soft pull once no matter how many places you apply.
Landlords receive the credit check results as part of your full PTSR-compliant report alongside identity, bank income ceiling, rent payment history, payroll verification, criminal background, eviction history, and landlord references — everything in one place, free for them to view.
Start your $99 Settl Verified Passport at settlhome.com/apply and arrive at your next application as a pre-verified candidate. Straight from the source. Apply anywhere. Pay once.
Settl Team
Settl Editorial
Settl helps renters stand out in competitive markets through verified identity, income, and rental verifications. Trusted by landlords across the US.
Ready to get your Settl Verified Passport?
Verified identity, income, and stability, all in one report landlords trust. Apply anywhere, pay once.
Get Settl Verified Passport →Related articles
Tenant Readiness Score: What It Measures and How to Raise Yours Before You Apply
A tenant readiness score is more than a number. Here is what landlords actually see, and five concrete moves you can make to raise yours before your next application.
Rental Application Tips for Freelancers: Build a Verification Package in 2026
Freelance income is real income. Here is how to present it to a landlord so you stop getting screened out before the tour.
Bank-Verified Income for Renters: The Fastest Way to Prove You Can Pay
Pay stubs can be faked. Bank verification can't. Here's how bank-verified income works, why landlords prefer it, and how to get yours in under 10 minutes.
Tenant Readiness Score vs. Credit Score: Why One Gets You Approved and the Other Gets You Ignored
A strong credit score helps, but landlords increasingly care about tenant readiness: verified income, identity, background, and references. Here is how to build the profile that wins the apartment.
How to Get Approved for an Apartment: Build a Financial Profile Landlords Trust
Most rental denials come from unanswered questions. Here is how to build a verified financial profile that makes landlords say yes before they even run your credit.
What Is a Tenant Readiness Score (and Why It Can Get You Approved Faster)
Your credit score isn't the only number landlords check. Here's what a tenant readiness score measures, why landlords trust it, and how to build one before your next application.