What Information Can You Find in an Applicant's Credit Report?

A tenant credit report shows the applicant's identifying details, credit accounts with balances and month-by-month payment history, collection accounts, bankruptcies, and records of some requests to access the report, often with a credit score attached. It does not show criminal records, income, or eviction judgments: the three nationwide bureaus removed all civil judgments, which include eviction judgments, from credit reports in July 2017. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), most negative items drop off after 7 years, and bankruptcies after 10.

What does a credit report include?

The CFPB's general description of a credit report also lists liens, foreclosures, civil suits, and judgments as public records. In practice, the bureaus changed their standards in 2017: all civil judgments and about half of tax liens came off in July 2017, the remaining tax liens were gone by April 2018, and the CFPB reported in 2019 that bankruptcies are the only public record type left on reports from the three nationwide bureaus.

A credit score, if your screening package includes one, is a number calculated from the report. A tenant screening report may add its own risk score or recommendation based on criteria you set.

What does a credit report not include?

• Criminal records. Arrests and convictions come from separate court and law enforcement searches.
• Eviction filings and judgments. These come from court records. Rent still owed to a former landlord can appear as a collection account if the landlord sent it to a collector who reports to the bureaus.
• Most rental payment history. The CFPB says the three bureaus use rental payment information, but on-time rent shows up only when a landlord or rent reporting program furnishes it.
• Income and employment verification. A report may list an employer, but it does not confirm current pay. See how to verify income and employment.
• A complete list of accounts. Creditors are not required to report to every bureau, so a report from one bureau may miss an account that appears at another.

How is a credit report different from a tenant screening report?

A tenant screening report is a bundle. The CFPB says it may include a credit report plus rental history with eviction actions and lawsuits, employment verification, criminal history, sex offender registry checks, the national terrorist watchlist, and a risk score or recommendation based on criteria the landlord selects. If eviction history matters to your decision, order a screening report that searches eviction court records; a credit report alone will not show them. See where to order an applicant's credit report for the services that sell each kind.

The CFPB also notes that some states restrict landlords from using eviction lawsuit information, and some allow eviction or criminal records to be sealed or expunged. In Colorado, a landlord who uses credit or rental history may not consider anything older than 7 years before the application date.

How long do negative items stay on a report?

The FCRA sets these federal limits:

Example: a debt first went unpaid in January 2020 and later went to collections. The 7 years start about July 2020, so the collection can be reported until about July 2027. A bankruptcy ordered in 2018 can appear until 2028.

Which items should you weigh for rent risk?

Decide in writing which items you count, and apply the same rules to every applicant.

1. Unpaid rent and utility collections. A collection from a former landlord or utility is the item closest to the risk you are screening for. Check whether it was paid and how recent it is.
2. Recent payment history. A run of 30, 60, or 90 day late payments that is still going on tells you more than one late payment five years ago.
3. Monthly debt payments. Add the required monthly payments shown on the report to the rent and compare the total to verified income.
4. Bankruptcy. Note the filing date and check whether payments on accounts opened since then are current.
5. Medical collections. Under policies the three bureaus announced in March 2022, reports exclude paid medical collections, medical collections less than a year old, and medical collections with an initial reported balance under $500. An unpaid collection initially reported at $500 or more can remain even if its balance later falls below $500. A CFPB rule that would have removed medical debt from reports more broadly was vacated by a federal court in July 2025, but state restrictions still apply: California's SB 1061 prohibits medical debt from appearing on credit reports. Check your state's reporting and screening restrictions before deciding whether to count medical collections, and treat every applicant the same.
6. Thin files and no score. A thin file has few or no accounts, so it may produce no score. The CFPB estimated that in December 2020, 2.7% of U.S. adults (about 7 million people) had no credit record and 9.8% had a record too limited to score. For these applicants, rely on verified income, landlord references, and a cosigner policy you offer to everyone in the same position.

Before you deny an applicant or add conditions based on any of these items, review the notice rules and state limits in whether you can deny an applicant for bad credit. For how credit fits with the rest of your screening, see what qualities make a good tenant.