Zenbase, the first service to offer automated and verified rent reporting in Canada, has partnered with Avenue Living Communities to offer over 25,000 residents the ability to build personal credit on existing rent payments. Regardless of payment method, residents can make their single largest monthly payment go further with the help of CreditBuilder to reduce interest payments, access better financial products, and build a verified and sharable rent payment history.
“Avenue Living Communities and Zenbase are creating access to credit and financial opportunities for a significant number of residents across their communities,” said Koray Can Oztekin, CEO and Founder of Zenbase. “As part of our mission to redesign rent payments for the financial health of unbanked or underbanked individuals, including newcomers, this partnership creates a new standard for rental reporting. As a pioneer in the multi-family market and with a consistent focus on delivering positive social impact, Avenue Living Communities’ reach and operations allow Zenbase to propel its vision to provide equitable financial access for over 10 million Canadians who are credit invisible or have thin-file.”
Avenue Living Communities is the first property manager in Canada to adopt a rent reporting program such as CreditBuilder.
“We are pleased to enhance our partnership with Zenbase through the CreditBuilder program, which is available to each and every resident,” says Louise Elsey, COO of Avenue Living Communities. “This significant economic advantage will benefit the financial future of everyone who calls Avenue Living Communities home. With residents always top-of-mind, integrating CreditBuilder into our ever-evolving business aligns with our commitment to providing service excellence and innovative solutions.”
About Zenbase
Zenbase, a leader in rewarding and flexible rent payments, is committed to economic inclusion that fosters financial empowerment for renters. Our solutions aid the financial wellness of renters while improving operational efficiency for property managers. Rent is usually due on the first of the month, but that doesn’t align with most people’s bi-monthly pay cycle. Zenbase fixed that misalignment by offering residents the option to split their rent into two monthly payments and provide other financial health solutions such as rent reporting. For more information on how to get started with Zenbase or CreditBuilder, visit myzenbase.com.
About Avenue Living Communities
Avenue Living Communities was founded in 2006 and is Western Canada’s fastest growing private rental properties operator with an expanding presence in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. With over 340 residential properties in more than 20 locations, Avenue Living Communities strives to provide exemplary resident experiences with safe, welcoming and affordable rental communities. By bringing people together across the Prairies via apartment and townhome living, we are committed to addressing every resident’s needs and fostering a true sense of community for years to come. Please visit avenueliving.ca for more information.
Calgary, AB – Zenbase now offers property owners and operators rent reporting to help improve the financial health of their residents and increase their operational predictability through improved payment rates. By reporting rental data to Equifax Canada, Zenbase is helping Canadians build their credit history. With over three million Canadians being considered “credit invisible” and another seven million having “thin” credit files, contributing rental data to the credit data ecosystem creates a significant opportunity to support the “Social” in ESG by helping these Canadians improve their financial well-being.
With deep accounting integrations across the multi-family space, Zenbase is proud to offer the first of its kind landlord-verified rent reporting in Canada that’s completely automated.
Zenbase is a no-lift solution for the landlords. As soon as landlords enable Zenbase for their preferred property management system, residents can sign up and give consent for their payments to be reported. The entire process of monitoring and reporting is handled by Zenbase and it requires zero investment for the landlords.
“Most renters are getting zero acknowledgment in their credit score for paying their biggest monthly expense and we are changing that,” explained Koray Can Oztekin, CEO and Founder of Zenbase. “With our landlord partners we are turning rent reporting into a standard for rent payments which is a key part of our vision to provide equitable financial access for everyone by creating a financial identity and stability toward financial health.”
“Data can be a force for good, and Equifax is hyper-focused on finding alternative sources of data that can help ensure every Canadian has access to the credit they deserve,” said Sandy Kyriakatos, Chief Data Officer for Equifax Canada. “We are so pleased to be working with Zenbase to benefit Canadian renters, who are often underserved by traditional credit. Canadians who rent their homes are often paying more than they would pay for a mortgage, but don’t get credit for consistently making those payments. When this data is reported to us, it helps build a person’s credit history, which can mean more equitable access to credit.”
About Zenbase
Zenbase, a leader in rewarding and flexible rent payments, is committed to economic inclusion that fosters financial empowerment for renters. Our solutions improve the financial wellness of renters while improving operational efficiency for property managers. Rent is usually due on the 1st of the month but that doesn’t align with most people’s bi-monthly pay cycle. We’ve fixed that misalignment and provide other financial tools like rent reporting. For more information, visit myzenbase.com
About Equifax
At Equifax (NYSE: EFX), we believe knowledge drives progress. As a global data, analytics, and technology company, we play an essential role in the global economy by helping financial institutions, companies, employers, and government agencies make critical decisions with greater confidence. Our unique blend of differentiated data, analytics, and cloud technology drives insights to power decisions to move people forward. Headquartered in Atlanta and supported by nearly 14,000 employees worldwide, Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. For more information, visit Equifax.ca.
According to Equifax, more than 7 million Canadians may have 2 or less credit accounts on their credit file, meaning they are considered to have limited credit history or are classified as a “thin” credit file. Therefore renter payment history reporting presents a great opportunity for both operators and renters(particularly for students, young professionals and newcomers) to kickstart an individual’s financial profile and help them secure other credit opportunities while improving timely payments. According to the studies conducted by Equifax:
70% of the GenZ and Millenial renters state that rent reporting would be a key differentiator when choosing their rental home. 73% of renters are more likely to pay rent on time if property managers reported rent payments.
Equifax
During this high interest environment, rent payment reporting provides residents the opportunity to build credit and reduce cost of financing.
Zenbase is SOC 2 Type 2 certified and integrated with all the major property management systems so there is no heavy lifting needed by operational or technical teams.
It’s in the best interest of all residents to have their payments reported since unpaid balances owed can be reported without needing the consent from the resident. By partnering with Zenbase, you can incorporate rent reporting into your new lease workflow and also onboard existing residents.
If you have any questions around rent reporting how it works with your existing systems please let us know.