Question: If my tenant is repeatedly late with paying rent, can I report him to the credit bureaus?
Answer: Unless you are an authorized subscriber to the credit bureaus, you cannot report individual delinquencies or a tenant’s lack of payment. Because of the stringent federal reporting requirements and the associated fees, most landlords (whether small or large) do not become subscribers. However, if a tenant fails to pay rent, and the landlord files an eviction action against the tenant and a judgment is obtained, the judgment will become a matter of public record and appear on their record. Additionally, a landlord that has a superior court judgment against a tenant, may record the judgment with the county recorder which serves as a lien against real property. If the judgment was originally obtained in justice court, like most evictions are, the landlord first has to transfer the judgment to superior court and then record it, to get it serve as a lien.
Information contained in this post is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. You should always contact an attorney for legal advice and not rely on information published here.