Credit Advice

Owner-financed mortgage not reported on credit report

Have a question?

Do you have a question about consumer credit? You may find an immediate answer by using the search engine. If you can't find what you're looking for, please fill out the form, being as specific as possible.

Please note: The Ask Experian team cannot respond to each question individually. However, if your question is of interest to a wide audience of consumers, the Experian team will include it in a future column.

Our policies
The information contained in this column if for educational purposes only and is not legal advice. You should consult your own attorney or seek specific advice from a legal professional regarding your particular situation.

Please understand that Experian policies change over time. Column responses reflect Experian policy at the time of writing. While maintained for your information, archived responses may not reflect current Experian policy.

Credit Advice

Owner-financed mortgage not reported on credit report

Dear Experian,

I purchased a home in November 2011. The owner is carrying the note. I would like to get my payment history reported to you. What does he have to do in order to report my payments so they reflect on my credit report?

- TML

Dear TML,

In order for your mortgage history to be reported, your loan would have to be serviced by a lender who reports to one of the credit reporting companies.

There are strict legal criteria that a business must meet in order to report, update, and verify account information to Experian. Additionally, there are significant costs related to compliance, technology, and reporting standards that make it financially unrealistic for an individual to report a single account.

In order for it to appear in your credit report, the mortgage loan would need to be transferred to a lender that maintains a contractual relationship and reports to one or more of the major credit reporting agencies.  If the company reports to Experian, your payment history would then be reflected on your credit report.

Thanks for asking.

- The "Ask Experian" team

  • © 2013 Experian Information Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.