High Credit Inquiry Velocity Emerges as Top Fraud Risk Indicator in Rental Applications
NEW ORLEANS, June 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rental applicants with unusually high numbers of recent credit inquiries pose the greatest fraud risk for property managers, according to TransUnion (NYSE:TRU) research released today at Apartmentalize 2026. Applicants with 15 or more credit inquiries in the seven days prior to applying for a lease showed the highest rate of charge-offs within one year, at 32%, compared with nearly 9% for the overall sample.
The research identified the top 15 fraud indicators based on their ability to help predict a negative outcome within 12 months after a renter applied for a lease. Another leading indicator was having eight or more credit inquiries within four days, further underscoring the predictive strength of unusually high inquiry activity.
TransUnion analyzed more than 1.1 million renters who moved during 2024 and tracked charge-offs within one year after moving as a proxy for fraud-related risk.
Top Five Fraud Indicators on Renter Applications
| Type of Indicator | Percentage of Renters Who Have Charge-offs Within 12 Months of Applying |
| 15 or more credit inquiries within the past seven days | 32% |
| Current address is a truck stop | 30% |
| Eight or more credit inquiries within the past four days | 23% |
| Extended fraud alert on file | 22% |
| Listed phone number is governmental | 20% |
"The average rental housing provider writes off nearly $1 million in bad debt due to fraudulent rental applications," said Maitri Johnson, senior vice president and head of tenant and employment screening at TransUnion. "These findings help property managers focus on the warning signs most associated with elevated risk and make more confident screening decisions."
The research also tracked which major MSAs saw the highest amounts of fraud indicators among their renters compared to the national average. Detroit ranked first with 6.7%, followed by Atlanta (6.1%) and Houston (5.6%). Other notable MSAs with higher fraud alerts included: Phoenix (4.9%), Los Angeles (4.4%), Chicago (4.2%) and San Francisco (4.1%).
"Strong screening and fraud technology tools are a must in today's environment for property managers to spot fraud before it's too late, and income verification can serve as an important first line of defense," said Johnson.
For this reason and many others, TransUnion partnered with industry income verification leader Snappt. The partnership incorporates Snappt's Applicant Trust Platform into TransUnion's TruVision™ Resident Screening to deliver a seamless and unified screening/income verification workflow to property managers.
Learn more about TruVision Resident Screening here.
About TransUnion (NYSE:TRU)
TransUnion is a global information and insights company with over 13,000 associates operating in more than 30 countries. We make trust possible by ensuring each person is reliably represented in the marketplace. We do this with a Tru™ picture of each person: an actionable view of consumers, stewarded with care. Through our acquisitions and technology investments we have developed innovative solutions that extend beyond our strong foundation in core credit into areas such as marketing, fraud, risk and advanced analytics. As a result, consumers and businesses can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good® — and it leads to economic opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for millions of people around the world. http://www.transunion.com/business
| Contact | Dave Blumberg |
| TransUnion | |
| david.blumberg@transunion.com | |
| Telephone | 312-972-6646 |
