Can You Report Rent If You Paid Rent During Forbearance?

How Rent Reporting Normally Works

Rent reporting means your monthly rent payments are sent to consumer credit bureaus and added to your credit file as a tradeline. On-time payments can help build a positive payment history, which is a major factor in most credit scoring models.

Typically, a rent reporting service will:

• Verify your identity and lease: Collect your name, address, landlord details, and lease dates.
• Link a payment method or proof: Bank statements, payment portal screenshots, or receipts show that rent was actually paid.
• Report monthly data: Each month, the amount due, amount paid, and the payment date are transmitted to one or more credit bureaus.
• Handle retroactive reporting (when offered): Some services can add past rent payments for up to 24 months, if documented.

Rentaba is a rent reporting tool that focuses on clear documentation, automated verification where possible, and regular transmission of your data, which helps keep your rental tradeline accurate and up to date.

What Changes When You Paid Rent During Forbearance

During forbearance, a landlord or property manager temporarily relaxes normal payment rules. If you still paid rent, those payments can usually be reported, but the context is slightly different:

• Amounts may vary: You might have paid reduced, partial, or irregular amounts instead of the standard lease rent.
• Due dates may be shifted: Agreed alternative due dates or grace periods must be reflected so they are not misread as late payments.
• Documentation matters more: Written forbearance agreements and records of what was actually owed each month help avoid misreporting.

Additional Steps Needed Under Forbearance

• Provide the forbearance agreement: Upload any emails or letters confirming modified terms (new amounts, dates, or pauses).
• Submit detailed payment proof: Bank statements or portal records showing each payment date and amount during forbearance.
• Confirm how you want it reported: Work with your service so payments are labeled consistently with the agreement, not the original lease terms.
• Use a tool that can handle exceptions: Platforms like Rentaba are designed to map nonstandard payment schedules to accurate tradeline data, reducing the risk of marking compliant forbearance payments as late.