Would a rental credit bureau be a good idea?

I was just wondering if anyone thinks the way I do about this: should there be a credit bureau that is separate from Equifax? I think that there should be a separate bureau, because a lot of people have bad credit these days and they have a hard time finding a decent place to rent because all landlord's who do a credit check use Equifax. These people in many cases always pay their rent, and can prove it with receipts and references. A lot of things can go awry in ones life and can cause people financial difficulty, sometimes making it impossible to pay debts for long periods of time. I think that the only thing landlord's should be concerned about is whether a prospective tenant will pay rent. If that person can prove they have paid rent for a year or five years for example, than other unpaid debts shouldn't matter. It's like the landlord is saying that just because you can't pay your car loan, that you wouldn't be able to pay rent either and you can't be trusted to do so. Even though you can prove that you have never missed a rent payment, and have always paid on time for the last 10 or 20 years (if you have that many receipts). I think that some kind of new credit bureau needs to be created so that prospective renters can finally be accepted based on proper criteria: enough income to pay rent, proof of paying rent in the past for a period of time and landlord's references, and no history of causing damage other than damage caused by regular "wear and tear." Landlord's should have to obtain a report from a rental credit bureau, which could provide a renter's profile of a person's rental history (providing relevant information), and that should be enough. Anyway, what do you think? Please be kind in your words. I realize you may agree or disagree, and since I'm posting on Yahoo Answers I'm looking for both "for" and "against" arguments about this. For the record, I am not arguing for anyone who owes debt, to not pay it. It is the right thing to pay debts as soon as possible (best to pay in the time period alloted). My point is really that debts like loans, credit cards and other such things in my opinion is not proof that a person who owes money like that, would/or does not pay rent and should be denied/rejected. If a person can prove without a doubt that they are a good tenant and always pays rent, they should be able to rent anywhere they wish as long as their income is sufficient to pay rent. A lot of people can pay rent because their income is high enough, but they can't pay their other debts after rent and food, etc. That is all. Thanks to anyone who comments in a positive mannor!

3 weeks ago - 2 answers