If you are a renter who has dreams of owning your own home one day - but you have "thin" credit - paying your rent on time could help you!
Good credit scores are important - unfortunately, if you miss just one credit card payment, utility payment and even a car payment - it could have negative impacts on your overall score. Often, I will hear tenants say, "I always pay my rent on time - why doesn't that count?"
They have a good point. Why doesn't it count? It should count especially when it could turn an un-score-able credit into score-able! So why doesn't doesn't every landlord do it? Because most landlords are not set up or approved to report rent payments to national credit bureaus. And, cost to do it.
The good news is - with online rent payments systems growing in popularity - many landlords are now able to make reporting to credit bureaus automatic. Right now, there are only a few online payment collection systems able to provide this service but it is gaining in popularity.
Why doesn't every landlord do online payment? Cost. Some companies charge tenants as much as $25 processing fee - and on the other side, the landlord incurs costs for use of the system and receiving the payments. The decision, at least with my company, is to keep the rents stable and low for tenant retention - and many of my tenants would rather spend .49 cents on a stamp to mail rent - over paying $25 - 35 more to pay online.
But as fees go down for using online payments - it is something many property managers such as myself are beginning to pay more attention to especially since it can ultimately it can have positive benefits to both landlord and tenant!
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