What Credit Score Is Needed To Rent a House?

Renting a house usually involves a financial review to help landlords determine whether you can comfortably afford the monthly rent. So, what credit score is needed to rent a house?

While there’s no universal minimum score required to rent a house, having a good credit score can improve your chances of approval and help you qualify for better rental options.

Key Takeaways

• Aim for a credit score of 670 or higher to give yourself the best shot at renting a house, though there's no universal minimum since private landlords often have more flexibility than corporate ones.

• You can still rent with a lower score by adding a guarantor or co-signer, showing strong income, providing solid references and proving a clean rental history.

• Boost your score fast by disputing credit report errors, paying bills on time, lowering your credit utilization below 30% and keeping older accounts open.

Summary generated by AI, verified by MoneyLion editors

Minimum Credit Score To Rent a House in the U.S.

Although there is no standard minimum credit score needed for renting a house, you’ll generally have the best approval odds with a score of 670 or higher.

The following table shows a range of FICO credit scores and how likely they are to lead to approval for renting a home.

Do Houses and Apartments Have Different Credit Requirements?

They might, but often because of who owns them rather than because of the type of home.

• Large apartment buildings are most often owned by corporate landlords.

• The vast majority of residential properties are owned by private individuals.

Private owners have more flexibility with credit requirements, so it might be possible to rent from them with a lower score than a corporate landlord would allow.

What Credit Scores Do Landlords Use?

Landlords might use any one of the several credit scores available.

• FICO score: FICO is perhaps the most widely known and used credit scoring model. Many versions consider rental history, including FICO 8 and FICO 10T. Each of the three credit bureaus — TransUnion, Equifax and Experian – have its own FICO models as well.

• VantageScore: VantageScore is the scoring model owned by TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. It differs from FICO in how it calculates scores, but it, like FICO, is a common screening tool for landlords.

• Tenant-screening scores: Tenant-screening scores, such as TransUnion ResidentScore use a tenant’s credit information to predict the likelihood that the tenant will be evicted It uses the same kind of information as FICO and VantageScores, but is specific to rental risk.

How Does Your Credit Score Affect Renting a House?

Landlords and property managers use credit scores as a screening tool to assess a tenant’s ability to pay rent on time and take care of the property. Score calculations take the following factors into account.

• Payment history: If a landlord looks at an applicant’s credit report and sees numerous late payments or high levels of debt, they may think twice about approving the application.

• Credit utilization: A high credit utilization ratio — more than 30% of total available credit being used — can signal to landlords that the applicant is relying too heavily on debt and may be at risk of defaulting on their obligations. A low credit utilization ratio shows that an individual is managing their debt responsibly and could be seen as more reliable.

• Length of credit history: A longer track record can indicate that the applicant is financially responsible, pays bills on time and uses debt responsibly. Because credit score calculations often account for age, having a longer history may mean a higher score.

• New credit inquiries: Multiple inquiries within a short period of time can signal that the applicant is seeking credit or attempting to take on new debt. Landlords might worry about the tenant taking on more expenses than they can handle.

What Else Do Landlords Check Besides Credit?

Credit is important, but it’s only one factor in the application. When you’re preparing to apply for a rental property, there are some other important things you’ll want to take into consideration and ensure are in order.

• Income: Income requirements can vary depending on the region you live in. But as a rule, a tenant should not spend more than one-third of their gross income on rent in order to maintain financial stability and have enough money left over for other living expenses.

• Rental history and evictions: Rental history verification reveals information about the tenant’s payment history, their care of homes they’ve rented and any issues that arose during their tenancy. Evictions are major red flags for future landlords.

• Proof of income and reserves: Bank statements, tax returns and pay stubs can show your income and prove that you have savings you could dip into to pay your rent in a pinch.

• References: References give landlords a deeper understanding of who you are as a person, beyond the documents and credit score. It’s important for these people to know you personally. If you’ve been a tenant in the past, having a current or previous landlord as a reference can be extremely beneficial.

How To Rent a House With a Low Credit Score

Renting a house with a low credit score can be challenging, but tenants often have options for making their tenancy less risky – and so more attractive – to landlords.

1. Get a guarantor: A guarantor is typically a family member or friend of the tenant who guarantees that the rent will be paid. The guarantor must meet income and credit requirements.

2. Rent with a better-qualified roommate or co-signer: Everyone who signs the lease is responsible for the full rent amount, so a credit-worthy roommate can strengthen your application. A co-signer serves the same purpose but typically doesn’t live in the rental home.

3. Increase your income: Landlords like to see consistent and reliable income, but they might be willing to consider income from a second job or side gig.

4. Rent from a private landlord: Unlike corporate landlords that must follow the corporation’s rules, private landlords can rent to anyone they want. They sometimes put more emphasis on high income, positive referrals from prior landlords, ties to the community, recent improvement in your financial situation and other factors that corporate landlords often ignore.

5. Pay several months’ rent in advance: Not all states allow you to pay in advance, but it’s one way to show landlords you’re financially prepared.

What To Bring When Applying

You and any co-applicants will need to have certain information and documents on hand when you fill out your rental application.

• Government-issued photo ID

• Social Security number

• Income verification – pay stubs, W-2s, 1099s, bank statements, tax returns, as specified by the landlord

• Employer information or employment verification

• Contact information for previous landlords and for personal references

Looking to buy a house? Find out how you can with bad credit.

How To Improve Your Credit Before Renting

Improving your credit removes a major barrier to renting. Depending on the reason for your low score, you might start to see results with your next credit report update.

• Check your credit report for errors: Report errors to the credit bureaus.

• Pay your bills on time: Payment history is the most important factor impacting your credit score.

• Pay down debt to reduce your credit utilization rate: This is the second-biggest scoring factor and can boost your credit.

• Avoid applying for new credit: Multiple hard inquiries in a short period can lower your credit score and make lenders view you as a higher-risk borrower.

• Avoid closing current credit accounts: Closing an older account can decrease the average age of your accounts, which reduces your credit score.

Final Takeaways

• Landlords like to see good credit scores of 670 and higher.

• It’s possible to rent with a lower credit score if you have a guarantor or co-signer, high income, personal references who can vouch for you, and a rental history that shows you pay your rent on time and take good care of your home.

• Improving your credit will make it easier to get approved on your own.

• Correcting credit report errors, paying bills on time and keeping credit utilization low are the best and fastest ways to improve your credit before you apply for a rental.

FAQs

Learn more about credit scores and house rentals so you’ll be prepared next time you fill out a rental application.

Is 580 enough to rent a house?

Possibly, but you might need a co-signer or guarantor.

Can I rent with no credit?

Landlords typically want some credit history. If you don’t have one because you’ve never applied for credit and are too young to have had bills in your name, consider having a family member guarantee or co-sign your lease.

Do landlords use FICO or VantageScore?

Landlords might use either of those scores or an alternative such as TransUnion’s ResidentScore.

Will a rental credit check hurt my score?

A hard inquiry will have a slight negative impact.

What income do I need to rent?

As a general rule, your rent should be no higher than one-third of your gross monthly income. So, if your monthly income is $4,500, your rent should be $1,500 or less.

Key Terms

• Credit score: A credit score is a three-digit number that shows how likely you are to repay debt on time based on your credit history.

• FICO score: A FICO score is a credit score model many landlords and lenders use to measure credit risk and review how you manage debt.

• VantageScore: A VantageScore is a credit scoring model from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion that helps landlords and lenders assess creditworthiness.

• Credit utilization ratio: Your credit utilization ratio is the amount of revolving credit you use compared with your total available credit. Lower usage can help your score.

• Co-signer: A co-signer is someone who agrees to take responsibility for rent payments if you can’t pay, which can strengthen your rental application.

Summary generated by AI, verified by MoneyLion editors

Jeannine Mancini contributed to the reporting for this article.

Sources

• Congress.gov. "Ownership of the U.S. Rental Housing Stock by Investor Type: In Brief."

• U.S. Federal Housing. 2026. "Credit Scores."

• VantageScore. 2025. "The Complete Guide to Your VantageScore 4.0 Credit Score."

• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 2023. "What is a credit score?"