My Tenant Screening Report Shows No Rental History. Why Is This Happening?
In many states, landlords and property managers are not required to report rental payments, renewals, move-outs, or positive tenant behavior. They only report issues when something goes wrong — like evictions, unpaid rent, or property damage. As a result, background check companies often have nothing to list under “rental history” unless there was a legal filing or negative event. If your past landlords never used a reporting service or never filed anything in court, your history may simply not appear, even if you were a perfect tenant.
Tenant screening companies also rely heavily on third-party databases. If a prior landlord used a small property management company, kept handwritten records, or didn’t subscribe to a reporting network, your rental history may never have entered the system. And if you rented privately from an individual owner, it’s even more likely that nothing was reported.
When Missing Rental History Becomes a Problem
Even though missing history usually isn’t your fault, it can still cause issues:
An automated system may think you have “insufficient rental background.”
A landlord may assume you have a limited or risky rental profile.
The screening software may flag your application for manual review.
If the missing information leads to a rental denial, especially if you do have a strong rental history, it can feel unfair. Sometimes the problem is caused by an identity mismatch or an incomplete report rather than a true lack of data.
What You Can Do If Your Rental History Is Missing
There are a few steps that help clear the confusion:
First, request a copy of your tenant screening report so you can see exactly what the landlord saw. Then contact your previous landlords or property managers and ask whether they reported rental information to any tenant screening databases. If they didn’t, the missing rental history is normal. If they did, the information may have been misfiled or matched incorrectly. In that case, you can dispute the report with the screening agency and ask them to reinspect their data.
You can also submit proof of past tenancies directly to the new landlord: previous leases, rent receipts, or letters of recommendation often resolve the issue. If the missing rental history caused an improper denial and you suspect an identity or reporting error, speaking with an FCRA attorney may be appropriate.
How We Can Help
If your rental history is missing because of an identity mismatch or incorrect reporting, we can help clarify the issue, dispute the inaccurate report, and pursue compensation if your rights were violated.