Rent and Credit > Experian’s Big Credit Score Update: Rent Payments Now Count — Here’s Why It Matters

Experian’s Big Credit Score Update: Rent Payments Now Count — Here’s Why It Matters

Wollit Team2 minute read · Updated 11th November 2025

If you rent, this is news worth paying attention to.

Experian, one of the UK’s main credit reference agencies, has announced a major update to how it measures credit scores. For the first time, rent payments will now count directly toward your main Experian credit score, rather than simply appearing alongside your file.

Until now, your rent payment history could be visible through Experian’s Rental Exchange data, but it did not influence the score itself. You could pay rent on time every month and still not see that reliability reflected in your Experian score. That is what is changing.

What’s Actually Happening

Experian has rolled out a new version of its scoring system called the Smarter Credit Score, the most significant overhaul of its UK credit model in more than a decade.

The score range has been expanded from 0–999 to 0–1,250, offering a more detailed picture of how people manage their money. Alongside this, Experian is broadening the types of data it uses to calculate your score, including:

Verified rent payments (from reporting services such as Wollit)
Mobile phone and broadband contracts
Overdraft activity and usage patterns
Credit card cash advances

These updates are designed to reflect how people actually manage their finances in 2025, where renting, subscriptions and flexible credit products are everyday realities.

Importantly, Experian has confirmed that your eligibility for loans, mortgages or credit products will not change because of this update. The new model is simply more precise and inclusive, helping lenders better understand consumers’ real financial behaviour.

The rollout of the Smarter Credit Score began in November 2025 and will reach all UK consumers by the end of the year.

Why It Matters for Renters

Renters have long been underrepresented in the credit system. For years, people have been making their largest regular payment every month with little or no recognition for it in their credit scores.

That is now beginning to change. With Experian’s new Smarter Credit Score, verified rent payments can now help improve your score. It gives renters a practical way to build their credit history without relying solely on borrowing.

This update also brings Experian in line with Equifax, which has already been treating rent data as score-impacting for some time. Now, both of the UK’s major credit agencies agree that rent should carry real credit value.

For renters, this means that responsible payment behaviour can finally translate into visible progress on their credit profiles.

Why Wollit Cares

At Wollit, we have always believed that paying your rent every month should count for something. It is one of the most consistent and important financial commitments most people make, and it deserves recognition.

That is why Wollit has been helping members report their rent payments directly to credit agencies for years. You do not need your landlord or letting agent to do anything; you are in control.

Now that Experian’s Smarter Credit Score includes rent data, those same Wollit-reported payments are working even harder for you. You will see them reflected not just on your credit file, but in your actual score.

It is progress that feels tangible: a fairer system that rewards real-world financial habits.

What You Can Do

Here is what this means in practice:

If you already report your rent through Wollit: You are covered. Wollit already shares your verified data securely with credit agencies, and Experian’s new model will automatically take it into account.
If you do not report your rent yet: It is worth starting. Rent reporting is one of the simplest ways to make sure your biggest monthly expense is helping your credit profile.
Keep paying on time: Rent reporting rewards reliability. Consistent, on-time payments help strengthen your profile and support your long-term credit health.

The Bottom Line

This is good news for renters.

For too long, rent has been one of the few regular payments that did not help people build their credit scores. Experian’s Smarter Credit Score marks a meaningful change. By recognising verified rent data, the system now paints a more complete picture of financial responsibility.

At Wollit, we are proud to have played a part in normalising rent reporting. We will continue working to ensure that your real-life financial behaviour, not just your access to traditional credit, defines your financial future.

Your rent counts. Now it counts even more.