Your Landlord Cannot See Your Bank Account. Here Is What They Actually See.

The short answer

Connecting your bank to get rental verification sounds invasive. It is not. Here is exactly what your landlord sees — and the long list of things they never see.

The Fear Every Renter Has

When you hear "connect your bank account," your first thought is probably: will my landlord see everything?

Every transaction. Every embarrassing purchase. Your exact balance. The paycheck that came in late.

The answer is no. Not even close.

Here is exactly what happens when you verify with Settl, and precisely what your landlord can and cannot see.

What Settl Does With Your Bank Connection

When you connect your bank via Plaid, Settl receives a read-only view of your account activity. This is the same infrastructure used by apps like Venmo, Robinhood, and most major fintech platforms.

Settl uses this data to calculate three things:

1. Your verified rent ceiling — the maximum monthly rent your income supports (e.g., "Verified for rent up to $2,100/mo"), based on your average monthly deposits over the past 3 months. Your exact income is never stored or shared.
2. Your cash reserves — your current balance expressed as months of rent coverage, shown only as a band (e.g., "3–5 months")
3. Rent payment history — how many of the last 12 months show a rent-sized outgoing payment

That is it. Settl processes this data, adds it to your Settl Verified Passport as two verified layers (income and rent history), and the raw bank data is never stored long-term or passed to anyone.

What Your Landlord Actually Sees

When a landlord opens your Settl Verified Passport report, here is the complete list of what is visible:

• Verified rent ceiling — shown as a dollar ceiling (e.g., "Verified for rent up to $2,100/mo") — not your exact income
• Income consistency — how steady your deposits have been month-to-month
• Cash reserves — shown as a month band (e.g., "3–5 months of rent") — not a balance
• Rent payment history — number of months with detected payments (e.g., "10 of 12 months")
• Identity verification status — confirmed via government ID and biometric selfie
• Payroll data — employer name and tenure if you connected Argyle (optional)
• Landlord references — ratings from past verified landlords
• Recommendation summary — based on all verified signals combined

That is the complete list.

What Your Landlord Never Sees

This is the more important list:

• No bank account number
• No routing number
• No exact account balance
• No transaction history
• No individual transactions (no, they cannot see your Netflix or coffee purchases)
• No exact income figure
• No employer name or salary (unless you optionally added Argyle payroll)
• No Social Security Number
• No credit score (landlords see only a soft-pull VantageScore 4.0 result — never your full report or score details)
• No debt obligations
• No overdraft history
• No other accounts you have

The landlord receives verified signals — not a window into your finances.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

There is a reason traditional credit checks feel invasive: they are. A credit report hands over a detailed financial history to every landlord who pulls it, including debt levels, payment history on every account, and sometimes employer information — and tenants pay for each pull separately.

Settl flips this model entirely. You connect your bank once, Settl does the analysis, and the result is packaged into your Settl Verified Passport — a portable verification credential you own and control. Under Colorado's HB25-1236 / Portable Tenant Screening Report (PTSR) law, landlords are required to accept a qualifying portable report rather than running their own screening. That means you pay $99 once and use your Settl Verified Passport at every property you apply to, without paying again.

"Apply anywhere. Pay once." Your bank details never leave the analysis. Your privacy is protected by design, not just by policy.

Can You Revoke Access?

Yes. Plaid connections can be revoked at any time from Plaid's portal or within your Settl account. Revoking access does not invalidate your existing Settl Verified Passport — it remains valid for 30 days from the date it was issued.

What About Landlord References?

Your Settl Verified Passport also includes a landlord references layer — past landlords can leave verified ratings on your profile. These are distinct from bank data: landlord references are submitted by verified property owners who confirm their identity before leaving a rating. You do not need to "connect" anything for this layer — Settl sends reference requests to landlords you list.

The Bottom Line

Connecting your bank to Settl is less invasive than handing over a pay stub — because a pay stub shows your employer, your exact salary, and your personal details to whoever reads it. Settl shows your landlord a verified rent ceiling and data signals. Your bank details never leave the analysis. "Straight from the source" means the data is credible — and your privacy is the reason renters trust Settl enough to use it.

Ready to get your Settl Verified Passport?

Verified identity, income, and stability, all in one report landlords trust. Apply anywhere, pay once.

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