Renter Credit Reporting Amendments

6
57-22-8
63I-2-257
0
Renter Credit Reporting Amendments
2026 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Stephanie Pitcher
House Sponsor:
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill enacts provisions relating to renter credit reporting.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
defines terms;
provides that a housing authority shall provide a renter an offer of rent reporting at the
time the housing authority and renter enter into a rental agreement;
provides that a housing authority shall provide an offer of rent reporting at least once
annually;
provides that a housing authority may charge a fee for rent reporting that may not exceed
the actual cost of the rent reporting;
provides the consequences for a renter failing to pay the fee for rent reporting;
provides that a renter may enroll and unenroll in rent reporting at any time during the
duration of the rental agreement;
prohibits a renter from reenrolling in rent reporting for at least six months if the renter
fails to pay the fee for rent reporting or the renter unenrolls in rent reporting; and
makes technical changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
This bill provides a special effective date.
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
63I-2-257
, as enacted by Laws of Utah 2024, Third Special Session, Chapter 5
ENACTS:
57-22-8
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section
57-22-8
is enacted to read:
57-22-8
. Renter credit reporting.
(1)
As used in this section:
(a)
"City of the first class" means a municipality designated as a city of the first class
under Section 10-2-301.
(b)
"Housing authority" means a housing authority:
(i)
created:
(A)
in accordance with Section 53A-8-402; and
(B)
by a city of the first class; and
(ii)
that enters into a rental agreement with a renter.
(c)
"Nationwide consumer reporting agency" means the same as the term "consumer
reporting agency that compiles and maintains files on consumers on a nationwide
basis" is defined in 15 U.S.C. Sec. 1681a(p).
(d)
"Offer of rent reporting" means a written statement that states:
(i)
that the housing authority reporting the renter's rent payments is optional;
(ii)
the nationwide consumer reporting agency to which the housing authority will
report the renter's rent payments;
(iii)
if the housing authority will charge the renter a fee in accordance with
Subsection
(3)
, the dollar amount of the fee;
(iv)
that a renter may enroll and unenroll in rent reporting at any time during the
duration of the rental agreement;
(v)
instructions on how the renter may enroll and unenroll in rent reporting; and
(vi)
if the renter opts out of rent reporting or fails to pay the fee described in
Subsection
(3)
, that the renter may not reenroll in rent reporting for six months
after the day on which the renter opts out or fails to pay the fee.
(e)
"Rent reporting" means a service that a housing authority offers in which a renter
may enroll where the housing authority reports each rent payment that a renter makes
to a nationwide consumer reporting agency, regardless of whether that rent payment
complies with the terms of the rental agreement.
(2)
On or after July 1, 2026:
(a)
at the time a housing authority enters into a rental agreement with a renter, the
housing authority shall provide the renter an offer of rent reporting; and
(b)
at least once annually, a housing authority shall provide a renter an offer of rent
reporting.
(3)
A housing authority may charge a fee for reporting a renter's rent payment that may not
exceed the housing authority's actual cost of reporting a renter's rent payment.
(4)
If a renter fails to pay the fee described in Subsection
(3)
, a housing authority:
(a)
may stop reporting the renter's rent payments; and
(b)
may not:
(i)
impose a fee for failing to pay the fee described in Subsection
(3)
;
(ii)
treat the renter's failure to pay the fee described in Subsection
(3)
as a violation of
the rental agreement; or
(iii)
treat the renter's failure to pay the fee described in Subsection
(3)
as grounds for
evicting the renter.
(5)
If a housing authority stops reporting the renter's rent payments in accordance with
Subsection
(4)(a)
, the renter may not reenroll in rent reporting for at least six months
after the day on which the renter fails to pay the fee described in Subsection
(3)
.
(6)
(a)
A renter may:
(i)
subject to Subsections
(5)
and
(6)(b)(i)
, enroll and reenroll in rent reporting at any
time during the duration of the rental agreement; and
(ii)
unenroll in rent reporting at any time during the duration of the rental agreement
by submitting a written statement to the housing authority that states the renter
opts out of rent reporting.
(b)
If a renter opts out of rent reporting in accordance with this Subsection
(6)
:
(i)
the renter may not reenroll in rent reporting for six months after the day on which
the renter opts out; and
(ii)
the housing authority may not report a rent payment the renter makes after the
renter unenrolls from rent reporting unless the renter reenrolls in rent reporting.
Section 2. Section
63I-2-257
is amended to read:
63I-2-257
. Repeal dates: Title 57.
Reserved.
Section 57-22-8, Renter credit reporting, is repealed December 31, 2027.
Section 3.
Effective Date.
This bill takes effect on
July 1, 2026
.
2-25-26 6:58 AM