DE State Housing Authority Announces Launch Of Statewide Rent Reporting Pilot

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The Delaware Tenant Rent-Reporting Program Pilot is a new program funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and partnered with Self Financial (Self). The Tenant Rent-Reporting Pilot aims to help over 400 low-income renters increase their credit scores by reporting their reliable rental payment history. Most rental payment history is never reported to the larger credit reporting bureaus. As a result, many renters’ credit scores do not reflect their actual credit risk. This unreported positive payment history can be a significant factor in decreasing economic mobility. Through rental payment history reporting, the new pilot program aims to reduce barriers to home ownership, increase access to personal and business loan products, and more accurately represent applicants applying for jobs requiring credit checks and affordable financial products like insurance.

Additional information from the DE State Housing Authority: Self is a credit-building platform that increases economic inclusion and financial resilience through products that make credit accessible for people with low or no scores. Self will report tenants’ rent and utility payments by linking to a person’s bank account, detecting the payment history, and then reporting those payments to the major credit bureaus. Self reports rent payments to all three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) and utility payments to TransUnion.

To participate in the pilot program, renters must have a housing voucher from or live in a public housing unit operated by one of the state’s five PHAs; OR have a household income of at/below 250% of the federal poverty level. During the 12-month pilot period, tenants will also have access to monthly credit scores, ID theft insurance, financial counseling, and the option to report an additional 24 months of past rent and utility payments.

For more information about the Delaware Tenant Rent Reporting Pilot, please contact Nancy Aragon, Rent Reporting Specialist, at (302) 855-1370 (office), (302) 260-1212 (cell), or naragon@neighborgoodpartners.org. Additional information is available at www.neighborgoodpartners.org


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