Rentaba × Drexel

Turn your housing payments into a credit history — and graduate with it already on your file.

Whether you live in Bentley Hall, Towers Hall, or an apartment in Powelton Village, the rent you're already paying can build on-time credit history reported to all three major credit bureaus. Less than $5 a month — and by commencement, up to two years on your file.

60+
Average score lift in 12 months
24 mo.
Of credit history added retroactively
<$5
Per month — less than one campus coffee
FHFA mandate · July 2025

Last summer, the federal government changed how rent payments are scored. Your housing payments now count toward your credit history.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency — the body that oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — issued a mandate requiring credit scoring models to recognize rent payment history. Translation: your monthly housing payment is finally being treated as the credit-worthy financial behavior it actually is.

In plain English: every on-time housing payment can now build a real credit history — the kind that decides whether you get approved for your first post-Drexel apartment, a phone plan in your own name, a car loan without a co-signer, and eventually a mortgage. But only if it's being reported.

That's what Rentaba does — for the dorm payments and off-campus rent you're already making.

How it works

Three steps. No new payment. No paperwork.

Rentaba connects to the housing payment you're already making and reports it as on-time credit activity — month after month.

1

Enroll in 3 minutes

Verify you're a Drexel student, confirm your housing details, and pick a plan. Most students finish on their phone between classes.

2

Link your housing payment

Whether it's the Drexel Bursar for on-campus housing or your landlord for off-campus, we connect securely without touching how or when you pay.

3

Watch your credit grow

Each on-time payment becomes a positive tradeline on your credit report. You'll see progress in the app and in your actual credit file.

Why it matters

Most college grads leave with thin-file credit. That costs them for years.

The average college graduate has a FICO score 45–65 points lower than the national average — which shows up as higher rates on auto loans, rejected apartment applications, bigger deposits on utilities, and now, harder mortgage approvals. Rentaba closes that gap while you're still at Drexel.

650–670
Average graduating-senior FICO (vs. 715 national)
$1,200+
Extra interest paid on a $25k car loan with thin-file credit
24 mo.
Of history Rentaba can add retroactively
<$5
Per month — less than a single campus coffee run
Built with Drexel's mission in mind

Reinforces what the LeBow Financial Literacy Program and Drexel Center for Financial Wellness already teach.

Rentaba is designed to be a companion to the financial-wellness work Drexel already does — through the LeBow Financial Literacy Program, the Drexel Center for Financial Wellness, and the Office of Equality and Diversity. It turns concepts like credit utilization, tradelines, and on-time history into something a student can watch happen in their own life — using a housing payment they're already making.

"Credit access is an equity issue. For a first-generation student, a first positive tradeline is a door that opens — and Rentaba opens it using payments they're already making." — Rentaba, on designing with university partners
Built for universities, safe for students

Compliance, security, and student-first design.

SOC 2 Type II

Audited controls on how we store, access, and transmit your financial data.

FCRA-compliant reporting

We report as a recognized data furnisher under the Fair Credit Reporting Act — and only on-time payments.

FERPA-aligned

Student data is handled in line with the standards universities already require.

FAQ

Questions Drexel students usually ask.

Want the full FAQ? Read it at rentaba.co/students.

Why now? What changed in July 2025?

The Federal Housing Finance Agency — the body that oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — issued a mandate requiring credit scoring models to count rent payment history. In plain English: the housing payments you're already making can now build the credit history that opens every door after Drexel — apartments, phone plans in your own name, car loans without a co-signer, and eventually a mortgage. But only if they're being reported. That's what Rentaba does, automatically, every month.

Does it actually work for on-campus housing?

Yes. Rentaba supports both on-campus housing paid through the Drexel Bursar and off-campus rent paid to a private landlord. We work with your existing payment — you don't have to change how or when you pay.

Will this hurt my credit if I've never had any?

The opposite. The biggest reason young adults have low scores isn't bad credit — it's no credit. Rentaba reports only on-time payments, never missed or late ones. We add positive history to your file, which is exactly what scoring models reward.

Does this count as a loan or debt?

No. Rentaba reports your housing payment as an on-time payment history — the same way a credit card would report an on-time payment. It does not add debt to your file.

What does it cost?

Plans start under $5/month, with retroactive reporting up to 24 months of past housing payments at enrollment. Cancel anytime — you keep the history you've already built.

Is this affiliated with Drexel officially?

Rentaba is an independent fintech building partnerships with universities. This page was created for students who heard about us through Drexel channels. Any formal program partnership will be announced through Drexel Housing & Residence Life or the LeBow Financial Literacy Program.

Graduate from Drexel with credit history already on your file.

Spring quarter ends June 19. Enroll now, and we'll back-report up to 24 months of eligible housing payments — meaning a senior could walk across the stage with two years of on-time credit history already reported.

Questions from your RA, advisor, or LeBow professor?

We'll send a packet (brochure, FAQ, and curriculum-fit guide) for staff at Housing & Residence Life or the LeBow Financial Literacy Program.

university@rentaba.co →