The Rental Exchange is a database and system set up by a new partnership between Experian and Big Issue Invest, the social investment arm of the Big Issue Group.

The Exchange was set up to address the valid concerns of both lenders and potential buyers currently occupying property as tenants. The concern was that tenants potentially faced financial, digital and even social exclusion which might disadvantage them when it came time for them to try and get on the housing ladder.

The Exchange is primarily a database which aims to better record and score a tenant applying for a mortgage. It does this buy tracking a tenant’s rent payment record and thereby allows Experian to put a ‘score’ on the tenant’s rental past. This can be used by lenders or other creditors when they are assessing an applicant’s suitability for a new loan or supply account.

As a tenant, having additional information on your credit file can make it quicker and easier to:

• Open a new bank account
• Get a new credit card
• Have a loan application approved
• Shop online
• Arrange a better utilities tariff, or qualify to pay for gas/electricity via a non-prepay tariff
• Receive better mobile phone rates
• Apply for a mortgage

If you are a tenant and would like to register with The Rental Exchange simply follow one of the following procedures;

1. If you are a council or social housing tenant, ask your landlord to report your rental payment data into the Rental Exchange.
2. If you are a private tenant, and your landlord or managing agent has more than 100 properties ask them to report your rental payment data into the Rental Exchange.
3. If your landlord owns fewer than 100 properties and cannot transfer data directly into the Rental Exchange, you can sign-up (at no cost) and schedule payments to your landlord via the Credit Ladder platform, the information is then shared into the Rental Exchange. Click here for more details.

If you are a tenant and you pay your rent regularly and reliably why not take advantage of the Rental Exchange by Experian? For more details click here.