Applying for a rental is competitive, and a knock-back with no clear reason is frustrating. If you have a default on your credit file, you may be wondering whether it is hurting your rental applications. It can — but the picture is more nuanced than most people think, because two different record systems are involved.
Australian Specialist
Credit Clean Australia
Find What Is Hurting Your Credit Score
Understand what's affecting your credit score and what options you may have to fix it by booking a credit file assessment below.
Your Assessment Includes:
- Both Equifax & Experian credit files audited
- Potentially incorrect or disputable listings identified
- Understand what’s affecting your credit score
- Clear options and next steps
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Next Steps
Next Steps After Your Assessment
Investigation
We investigate the circumstances behind each listing on your credit file, identifying potential breaches of the Privacy Act or non-compliance with the Credit Reporting Code. This is completed with you over the phone through 40+ simple yes, no, or unsure questions, along with your personal circumstances at the time.
Approved or Denied
If our investigation identifies multiple potential breaches, you may be approved for our credit restoration services. If not, your application will be declined, and your consultant will explain why, providing complete clarity.
Note: Approval does not guarantee the removal of any listing.
Disputes & Result
Formal removal requests are lodged with Equifax, Experian, and relevant credit providers, with escalation to AFCA, the OAIC, courts, or other bodies where required.
If a breach is confirmed, listings may be removed, in most cases boosting your credit score and helping future finance applications.
Two different records: your credit file vs tenancy databases
When you apply for a rental, an agent may check more than one thing. Your credit file (held by Equifax, Experian and illion) records defaults, enquiries and repayment history. Separately, there are tenancy databases — industry-run lists that record rental-specific history such as past breaches. They are not the same system, and a default on your credit file is a different thing from a tenancy-database listing.
How a default can affect a rental application
Where an agent runs a credit check as part of screening, a default can count against you — it signals to them that a past debt went unpaid. It will not automatically disqualify you, and many landlords weigh income, references and rental history more heavily. But in a tight market where several applicants look similar on paper, a visible default can be the difference.
A default holding up your rental applications?
For $39.95 we review your Equifax and Experian files and tell you exactly what an agent running a credit check would see — and whether any listing is open to challenge.
What you can do
- Know what is actually on your file. Get your reports so you are not guessing about what an agent sees.
- Check the default is valid. A default can only be listed for $150 or more, at least 60 days overdue, with the required notices sent first. If it was listed in breach of those rules, it may be open to challenge.
- Be upfront where it helps. A short, honest explanation with strong references and proof of income can reassure an agent more than silence.
Tenancy-database listings are a separate process handled under different rules, and we focus on the credit file rather than those databases — we will always tell you plainly which system your issue actually sits in.
Common questions
Can a landlord see my credit score?
An agent may run a credit check as part of screening, which can reveal defaults and other listings. Not every agent does.
Will paying the default get me the rental?
Paying a default does not remove it — a paid default still shows for five years, marked as paid. Whether that satisfies an agent is up to them.
If the default is the problem, see how default removal works or how long a default stays on your file.
Start with the facts about your own file
A $39.95 credit file assessment shows you every default, judgement and enquiry on your Equifax and Experian files — and which ones may be open to challenge.
Book My Credit File Assessment →
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