Best Credit Building Companies of 2024

It’s important to remember that credit isn’t just about borrowing money. Credit is also about credit building, which means establishing a history of paying your bills on time. Unfortunately, most rent and utility payments are not reported to the credit bureaus, which means you may not be getting full credit for other bills that you regularly pay. There are a few ways to change that. Some landlords now report rent payments to the credit bureaus, so you can ask your landlord if that’s an option. If that’s not an option, you can also sign up for a service like Rental Kharma or RentTrack, which report your rental payments to the credit bureaus.

By adding your rental payments to your credit report, you can improve your credit score and demonstrate your creditworthiness to potential lenders.Below we’ve rated some of the best credit building companies of 2024.

Last Updated: January 1, 2024

Lexington Law

LevelCredit

  • Two options: $6.95/month or $49.95/one-time 
  • Reports rent, cell phone and utility payments to your credit reports

  • Reports rental payments to Equifax, TransUnion and Experian

  • Reports cell phone and utility payments to TransUnion

  • TransUnion credit monitoring included

Lexington Law

RentReporters

  • $94.95 sign-up fee, then $9.95/month
  • Rent reported to Equifax and TransUnion

  • See results in as little as 10 days

  • Establishes 24 months of credit history

  • Free credit score included

  • Money-back guarantee

Lexington Law

RentalKarma

  • $50.00 sign-up fee, then $8.95/month
  • Rent reported to Equifax and TransUnion

  • Ability to add a spouse or roommate for a discount

  • Average score increase of 40 points

  • No contract, cancel anytime

Hello Genius Credit Building Services Buyer’s Guide

 

Your creditors—including your credit card issuer, loan issuer, utility provider, and landlord—are not required to report to the credit bureaus. In fact, they have to pay a fee in order to report to the credit bureaus. That’s why many creditors like landlords and utility providers don’t report on-time payments, or will only report to one or two bureaus instead of all three.

But if you pay your rent and utilities on time regularly, those payments could be helping you build your credit profile. You just need to get all of your creditors to report them to the bureaus. If they’re reported, the credit bureaus will include that information on your credit report and use it to determine your credit scores.

There are third-party services that can help you add tradelines to your report, like LevelCredit and RentReporters. Getting your rent and utility payments added to your credit report is far from the only way to build your credit. Your payment history accounts for 35% of your credit score, so the best way to build your credit is to pay all of your bills on time—every time.

If you don’t have any credit accounts, consider applying for a secured credit card or opening a credit-builder loan. These credit-building tools are great for individuals with a thin credit file.

Most Popular