Faces of RentReporters: Lerita Watkins

Lerita Watkins,Founder of non-profit, Girls to Women

Why I Joined RentReporters:

I am looking to buy an investment property, and I knew that in order to be approved for and get the best deal on a mortgage, I would need to increase my credit score to at least 640. So, I started to do some online research to find out what I could do to improve my score.

During my efforts, I was shocked to learn that accounts that I have had for 10-plus years, like my cable and phone bills, were not being reported to the credit bureaus! I have been paying these bills for many years, and since they weren’t being reported, it’s like nobody knew of my payment history.

I then read about RentReporters and learned how having my rent payments reported to TransUnion could help me improve my score. I signed up, and in about a month, my score went from the mid-400s to the 600s!

After Joining RentReporters:

I am in school, studying for my PhD, and will be graduating next year. Before my improved credit score, I was denied for a Graduate PLUS loan, which meant that I had to pay for school out of my own pocket. With my new credit score, I reapplied and was approved not only for a loan of $11,000, but also, was recently approved again for a $7,000 loan! As my score continues to improve, I now know that I can realize other life goals, like buying my investment property.

My Experience with RentReporters:

I regularly check my credit score and recently called RentReporters to make sure that one of my rent payments was reported. And guess who answered the phone – the owner of the company! We spoke for a bit, and I shared my story with him. I really found that to be amazing – he picked up the phone and took the time to speak with a customer.

I have and will continue to refer RentReporters to other people. Having your on time rent payments reported to the credit bureaus can make a big difference in people’s lives. If you’ve been paying rent for a long time, it just makes sense to sign up so that you can improve your score and realize your goals.