Rental payments matter to credit bureaus, and households with stellar histories will be rewarded, according to The New York Times. Experian, one of the three major credit-reporting firms, included on-time rent payments to millions of last year's credit reports. In 2012, the company plans to track late payments and other delinquencies. Currently, Experian's data comes predominantly from large property managers and apartment companies.

CoreLogic and FICO are just steps behind. They intend to create a new report that not only weighs payment histories from landlords but also non-traditional loans and child support. According to Joanne Gaskin, FICO's director of product management global scoring, rental history may factor into one of every five new CoreScore reports.

The new model could potentially affect up to 35 percent of households around the nation, the Census data's number for total renters in 2010. Experian's Brannan Johnston, managing director of the rent bureau, says that the change heavily affects individuals who haven't been in the work force long enough to develop credit histories. Stellar tenants should be rewarded, whereas those who are late or delinquent may bear the negative marks for up to 12 months. Homeowners who recently lost their homes in foreclosure but remain current on their rental payments may get a boost from the shift. At this point, it's a little too soon to tell what the net effect may be.

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