Do you need your landlord’s permission for rent reporting?

By Sam Kane · Last checked 9 October 2026

No. You do not need your landlord’s permission to report your own rent. Experian says: you don’t need your landlord’s permission. The company checks your rent in your own bank account, so your landlord does not need to do anything.

The short version

How rent reporting works without your landlord

In the past, rent only reached a credit file if the landlord sent it. Most landlords never did. Rent reporting companies changed that by checking the payment from the tenant’s side instead.

With Report My Rent, you connect the bank account you pay rent from through Open Banking, a regulated way to let a company see your transactions with your permission, and we tell Experian, Equifax and TransUnion each month that you paid. Read how rent reporting works, or see how Report My Rent works.

At no point do we need your landlord to confirm anything. Your bank statement shows the payment, and that is what we report.

Will my landlord know?

Your landlord does not need to agree, and they do not have to do anything. We never contact your landlord.

You can still tell your landlord if you want to.

Does it change anything for my landlord?

No. Your rent, your payment method and your tenancy all stay the same. You keep paying rent exactly as you do now. Your landlord gets paid in the same way, on the same day.

Rent reporting does not affect your landlord’s credit file, and it does not create any new duty for them.

What if my landlord already reports my rent?

Some landlords already report rent to Experian through the Rental Exchange. If yours does, your rent may already be on your Experian file.

You can check by looking at your Experian credit report, or by asking your landlord. Even if your landlord reports to Experian, you may want your rent at Equifax too, so that more lenders can see it. You can still use Report My Rent, and the agencies remove the duplicate themselves. Read more in rent reporting for council and housing association tenants.

Is my bank connection safe?

The connection is read-only. We can see your transactions so we can find your rent. We cannot move money, make payments or change anything in your account. You choose which account to connect, and you give permission on your bank’s own screen.

What if I pay a letting agent or a housemate?

Paying a letting agent works in the same way as paying a landlord, and you still do not need permission. Rent paid to a housemate, a partner or a family member does not count, and we cannot use it. Your rent has to go to your landlord, your letting agent or your housing provider. Read rent reporting if you pay an agent or a housemate.

Common questions

Do I need to tell my landlord I am using rent reporting?

No. You can tell them if you want to, but you do not have to.

Can my landlord stop me reporting my rent?

Experian says you don’t need your landlord’s permission. You report your own payments from your own bank account.

Does my landlord need to sign up?

No. Only you sign up. Your landlord does not need an account.

Will rent reporting change my tenancy?

No. Your tenancy, your rent and your rights as a tenant stay the same.

Does my landlord see my credit file?

Rent reporting adds your rent to your own credit file. It does not give your landlord any access to your file.

Sources

You already do the hard part.

You pay your rent every month. From now on, your credit file can show it.

a month