A coalition led by personal loan provider Evlo has submitted a formal representation to HM Treasury ahead of the Autumn Budget 2025, calling for rental payment data to be included in credit scoring.
The proposal forms part of Evlo’s Financial Freedom for Everyone campaign, which aims to tackle financial exclusion and expand access to fair credit.
The coalition of financial services organisations and consumer advocates argues that recognising rental payments in credit histories could transform the financial prospects of millions of UK renters.
According to the campaign, 20.2 million adults in the UK are now financially underserved – a 50% increase since 2016.
One in three adults cannot access mainstream credit, while more than three million have turned to illegal lenders in the past three years.
Around 5.6 million people remain “credit invisible,” unable to demonstrate creditworthiness despite meeting significant monthly financial commitments.
Sam Foster, head of marketing and communications at Evlo, said: “The current credit scoring system contains a significant inconsistency that disproportionately disadvantages renters.
“Whilst mortgage payments are routinely included in credit assessments and contribute positively to homeowners’ credit profiles, rental payments, which represent one of the largest monthly financial commitments for millions of households, do not consistently count towards building a credit history.”
Foster added: “This disparity creates what we describe as a systemic disadvantage that reinforces existing inequalities in the financial system.
“The irony is particularly stark given that credit reference agencies already capture data on far smaller recurring payments, such as mobile phone contracts and utility bills, yet the substantially larger rental payments often go unrecorded or unused in credit assessments.”
The campaign proposes that all credit reference agencies should be required to include rental payment data in their scoring models and that landlords and letting agents should be mandated to offer tenants the option of sharing this data.
Supporters say the reform could help millions build stronger credit histories through existing financial behaviour, reduce reliance on high-cost or illegal lending, and create fairer access to credit for renters.
Foster added: “The timing of this representation is particularly significant as it precedes the UK’s first-ever National Financial Inclusion Strategy, which is expected to be published soon.
“The diverse range of organisations backing this campaign reflects broad recognition across the financial services sector that the current system is not working as it should. Their united front on this issue underscores the severity of the financial exclusion crisis and the pressing need for reform.
“As the Autumn Budget approaches, the Financial Freedom for Everyone campaign’s proposals offer policymakers a practical tool to address financial exclusion and create a fairer, more inclusive credit system that recognises the financial responsibility millions of renters demonstrate every month.”
