
Last December, credit-reporting company Experian started including rent-payment history in its credit reports, says Brannan Johnston, vice president and managing director of Experian RentBureau, which collects updated rental histories from property-management companies.
"Individuals [can] build and rebuild their credit by paying rent responsibly," says Mr. Johnston, adding that 45% of consumers who don't have a credit score or fall in the lowest VantageScore level can up their score at least 100 points.
Here's another option: RentReporters.com, a website launched last fall, which collects rent and lease data from renters, verifies it with landlords and then makes it available to any of the credit-reporting companies