Rent reporting & the law in New York

If you are a landlord in New York, you have probably heard that "rent reporting is becoming the law." That is half true — and the half that is wrong could get you in trouble if you assume New York works like California. The short version: California already requires many landlords to offer rent reporting. New York does not. New York has a bill (A2729) that has sat in committee for years and is not law as of July 2026. This guide walks through exactly what each rule says, what a compliant, tenant-friendly rent-reporting offer actually looks like, and how to set one up now so you are ahead of the curve instead of scrambling later.

Rent reporting means sending your tenant's on-time rent payments to one or more credit bureaus so that paying rent helps build their credit. For tenants who are "credit invisible" — roughly one in ten New Yorkers has no usable credit file — it can be the single biggest lever they have. For you, offering it is a cheap, genuine perk that helps you attract and keep good tenants. But because it touches consumer credit data, both California's law and New York's proposed bill wrap it in specific rules about consent, notice, and fees.

The big picture: California is law, New York is not

This is the most important thing to get right, so let's be blunt about it.

California — AB 2747 — is enacted and in effect since April 1, 2025. If you own or operate a residential property with 16 or more units in California, you are required to offer your tenants the option to have their positive rent payments reported to at least one nationwide credit bureau. Tenants choose whether to opt in; you cannot force it, and you can only report positive (on-time) history, never late payments as a penalty. You may pass along a fee, but it is capped at the lesser of your actual cost or $10 per month.

New York — A2729 — is a proposed bill, still in committee, and is NOT law. It has been introduced in the State Assembly across multiple sessions and has not passed. Nothing in it binds New York landlords today. We describe below what it would require if it passed as currently drafted, so you can prepare — but do not tell tenants it is the law, and do not build your lease around it as a legal obligation. It is not.

Even though New York does not require rent reporting, nothing stops you from offering it voluntarily right now. In fact, offering it the "compliant" way — opt-in, positive-only, honest about fees — is just good practice regardless of what any legislature does.

California AB 2747 vs. New York A2729 side by side

Here is how the enacted California law compares with the New York proposal, as drafted. Read the New York column as "what may be coming," not "what you must do today."

Two differences jump out. New York's proposed fee cap ($5) is half of California's, and New York adds a six-month "cooling-off" period before a tenant who opts out can opt back in — a detail meant to stop tenants from being churned on and off. Neither of these applies to you today in New York, but if you build your process around the stricter numbers now, you will already be compliant whenever the law lands.

What a compliant, tenant-friendly offer looks like

Whether or not you are legally required to, a good rent-reporting offer has the same five ingredients. Get these right and you are covered under California's law, ready for New York's bill, and — more importantly — actually helping your tenants.

1. Opt-in and positive-only. The tenant chooses to enroll, in writing, before anything is reported. You report on-time payments only. Using rent reporting as a threat ("pay late and I'll wreck your credit") is not allowed under these rules and is a bad idea anyway — it can expose you to Fair Credit Reporting Act liability as a data furnisher.
2. Clear written notice. Spell out, in plain language, what will be reported, to which bureau(s), what it costs the tenant (if anything), and how they can stop. Put it in the lease and hand it to them again once a year. No fine print, no surprises.
3. An honest fee — or none. If you pass along a cost, cap it at the lesser of your real cost or the legal ceiling ($10 in CA; $5 in the NY proposal). Many landlords using free tools charge tenants nothing, which is the easiest way to stay compliant and the strongest selling point.
4. Easy opt-out. Let tenants leave whenever they want, and stop reporting promptly when they do. If you are preparing for New York, remember the drafted six-month re-enrollment lockout and note it in your paperwork.
5. Keep records. Save the signed opt-in, the dates you sent notices, and a log of what you reported and when. If a tenant ever disputes an entry, this paper trail is what protects you.

The honesty most landlords skip: what rent reporting can and can't do

Here is where a lot of marketing overpromises, and where being straight with your tenants builds real trust. Rent reporting does not guarantee a specific point increase, and you should never say it will. What it reliably does is cure credit invisibility — it gives a person with a thin or empty file an active tradeline, which can be the difference between "no score" and "a score."

The catch is which scores actually count rent. Rental tradelines are used by newer models — VantageScore 3.0/4.0 and FICO 9 and later — but they are ignored by FICO Score 8, which is still the most widely used version, and by the classic mortgage-industry scores (FICO 2, 4, and 5) that most lenders pull when someone applies for a home loan. So a tenant can see a real bump on the apps and cards that use VantageScore, and see little or no change on the score a mortgage underwriter looks at. Tell them that up front. It is the truth, it sets expectations correctly, and it makes you look like the rare landlord who isn't selling snake oil.

How CertRent handles the compliance work for you

CertRent is built for exactly this. Our free landlord tools generate a rent-reporting offer that is opt-in, positive-only, and clearly worded, so you are not drafting consent language yourself. When a tenant enrolls, we capture the written opt-in, timestamp it, and store it, then send only on-time payment data — never late marks — to the bureaus we support. Tenants can opt out from their own dashboard in a couple of clicks, and the system tracks the re-enrollment window automatically, so if New York's six-month lockout ever becomes law you are already following it.

Because rent reporting is baked into a tenant's free CertRent profile, most landlords pass no fee at all to tenants, which keeps you comfortably under both fee caps. Our NY lease templates include the notice language you'd want at signing, and the annual-notice reminder is handled for you. You can also pair reporting with our free NY lease forms and e-sign so the whole enrollment happens in one place. For tenants who want the full picture of how this affects their credit, point them to our plain-English explainer on how rent reporting works.

Should you offer rent reporting in New York right now?

For most small landlords, yes — voluntarily, and the compliant way. It costs you little, it is a genuine benefit that helps you compete for good tenants, and doing it correctly now means the day A2729 or a successor bill passes, you change nothing. Just remember to describe it accurately to tenants: it is optional, it reports only positive history, it may help their newer credit scores but is not a magic fix, and they can stop anytime. That honesty is the whole point — and it happens to be exactly what the law, here and in California, is trying to require.

Frequently asked questions

Is rent reporting required for landlords in New York?

No. As of July 2026 there is no New York law requiring landlords to offer rent reporting. The relevant bill, A2729, has been introduced but remains in committee and has not become law. You may offer rent reporting voluntarily, and doing it the compliant, opt-in way is smart preparation.

Does California's AB 2747 apply to my New York property?

No. AB 2747 is a California state law and only governs residential rental properties in California (generally those with 16 or more units). It has no legal force in New York. We compare it here only because it is the clearest existing model for what rent-reporting rules look like.

Can I report a tenant's late or missed rent to hurt their credit?

Under both California's law and New York's proposed bill, only positive, on-time payments may be reported through these programs. Reporting negative rent data as furnisher also triggers Fair Credit Reporting Act obligations and disputes. CertRent reports on-time payments only and never late marks.

How much can I charge a tenant for rent reporting?

In California the fee is capped at the lesser of your actual cost or $10 per month. New York's proposed bill would cap it at the lesser of cost or $5 per month, but that is not yet law. Many landlords using free tools like CertRent charge tenants nothing, which is the simplest way to stay compliant.

Will offering rent reporting raise my tenant's credit score?

It can help, but no one can promise a specific increase, and you should not claim one. Rent reporting mainly cures credit invisibility and shows up in newer models like VantageScore and FICO 9+. It is ignored by FICO 8 and the classic mortgage scores, so a tenant may see movement on some scores and little on others.

What should my lease say about rent reporting?

It should state clearly that reporting is optional, that only on-time payments are reported and to which bureaus, what it costs the tenant (if anything), and how to opt out. Include the notice at signing and once a year afterward. CertRent's NY lease templates include this language.

Official sources

• New York State Assembly Bill A2729 — the proposed NY rent-reporting bill; check its status here to confirm it is still in committee.
• California AB 2747 (leginfo) — full text of the enacted California rent-reporting law.
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — federal guidance on credit reporting, furnisher duties, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
• AnnualCreditReport.com — the official free source where tenants can check what appears on their credit reports.
• NY Homes and Community Renewal — New York State's housing agency, for landlord and tenant obligations.
• New York State Attorney General — consumer-protection resources relevant to fees and disclosures.

This guide is educational information, not legal advice. Facts current as of July 2026; laws change — verify with the official sources above.