You pay rent on time, month after month – but unlike mortgage payments, rent tends to feel like ‘lost money’. Your rent payments deserve more credit! With rent reporting you can reap long term benefits from your timely rent payments so keep reading to find out how it works, why it matters and how to start building credit history with credit reference agencies today with payments you’re already making.

Why It Matters for Tenants

Your credit report isn’t just about credit cards or loans. Lenders want to see reliability and consistency so regular rent payments are a goldmine of proof. By reporting your rent to a credit reference agency (CRA), you:

• strengthen your credit position with a history of on-time payments.
• improve trust with lenders when applying for mortgages or loans.
• increase your chances of mortgage approval: lenders may consider rental history when assessing applications so a strong record could help you secure better rates.

Traditional ways of building credit history include strategically using credit cards, leveraging credit builder loans or limiting the amount of credit applications. Rent reporting can be much more effective over time and is completely passive, after the first time, which makes it very effective and beneficial for UK renters.

How It Works – No Landlord Hassle

Rent isn’t automatically reported in the UK but with the right app you can fix that. With the Emma app you can bypass the landlord (which other services may require cooperation from) and simplify the process into one quick step that sets you up for good:

1. Tag your rent transaction
   In the Emma app, highlight your latest rent payment (e.g. a bank transfer to your landlord).
2. Automate tracking
   Emma* recognises future recurring payments and reports them to Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion – the UK’s three top credit reference agencies (CRAs). [*Applies to Emma Pro and Ultimate only]
3. Build credit history
   Over time, your rent appears on your credit file as a reliable payment stream.

Why report to all three CRAs? Lenders don’t all use the same agency. For example, Halifax might check Experian, while HSBC uses Equifax. By covering all three, you ensure every lender sees your reliability.

Which Rent Reporting Service Is Best for You?

While others focus only on rent reporting and credit building, Emma Pro bundles tools to manage your entire financial life so it’s much better value for money and a smarter long term investment:

• Full coverage rent reporting
  For £9.99/month, your rent builds credit history across all 3 major agencies, making triple the impact. Experts recommend covering all three since lenders could check any of them.
• See all your bank accounts in one place
  Securely connect your bank accounts, savings, credit cards and more for a global view of your finances.
• Personalised budgeting
  Set limits to make your income go further and curb unnecessary spending.
• RoundUps and Autosave
  Automatically save spare change and let AI calculate the perfect amount to hide away without impacting your usual spending.
• Track subscriptions & bills
  Find unused subscriptions, get weekly reminders and know your balance after bills.
• Spending habits & insights
  Personalised analytics and charts to help you understand your spending patterns.

For £9.99, you’re not just reporting rent – you’re getting a toolkit to spend less, save more and build your financial future.

“What If I Pay Rent Late?” and more FAQs

Will late payments hurt my credit profile?

No. Only on-time payments are reported with the Emma app so late payments won’t show up… unless you use a service that explicitly includes them.

Is my data safe when reporting rent?

Yes, your data is secure. Emma is FCA-regulated, uses bank-level encryption and has read-only access to your transactions. Emma will never sell you data.

Can I report past rent payments?

No. You can report future rent payments from the moment you sign up and tag your first payment.

Your Next Steps

1. Download the Emma app
   If you want to report your rent to all CRAs and get access to premium money management tools, Emma Pro is a cost-effective all-in-one.
2. Tag your rent
   In the Emma app it takes 2 minutes.
3. Track progress
   Check your credit report after 3 months using a free credit check company like Experian or Clearscore.

Ready to start? Download the Emma app for free now.