TL;DR: Yes, rent payments can help you qualify for a mortgage in Northwest Arkansas: VantageScore 4.0 counts rent only if it reaches your credit reports, and 13% of consumers nationally had rent reported in 2025 (TransUnion, March 2025 survey). Fannie Mae's Desktop Underwriter can also use 12 months of rent shown in bank-account data if you have rented at $300 a month or more and have no mortgage on your credit report, limited credit history or no score (Selling Guide B3-2-03, Feb. 5, 2025).
Is My FICO Score the Only Score That Matters for a Mortgage?
Many Northwest Arkansas buyers assume Classic FICO is the only score that matters for a mortgage. That is now only partly true. According to HousingWire (Sept. 9, 2026), Fannie Mae (Lender Letter LL-2026-06) and Freddie Mac (Bulletin 2026-H) expanded VantageScore 4.0 to all of their approved single-family lenders, effective immediately. On conventional loans sold to the two agencies, a lender may use either Classic FICO or VantageScore 4.0.
The key word is may. The change gives lenders permission but does not require them to switch, and a lender that is not ready for VantageScore 4.0 can keep using Classic FICO. The agencies also set three conditions that decide whether the newer score can apply to your loan.
If you rent in Benton or Washington County and plan to buy, ask which score a lender pulls before you choose one, because the answer decides whether reported rent counts in the score used on your loan.
Can Rent Payments Help You Qualify for a Mortgage in Northwest Arkansas Under VantageScore 4.0?
For the VantageScore 4.0 score itself, rent counts only if the payments reach your credit reports, and for most renters they do not. According to a TransUnion survey (March 5-10, 2025), the share of consumers nationally with rent reported to credit reporting agencies rose to 13% in 2025 from 11% in 2024. No Arkansas or Northwest Arkansas rent-reporting figure is published.
Fannie Mae offers a second route that does not depend on the bureaus. Under Selling Guide B3-2-03 (Feb. 5, 2025 version), Desktop Underwriter can use rent history from a credit report or from a 12-month third-party asset verification report built on bank statement data. At least one borrower must have rented for at least 12 months at $300 a month or more and have no mortgage on the credit report, a limited credit history or no credit score.
Per RISMedia (Aug. 31, 2026), a VantageScore report found nearly four million homebuying-age renters nationally could become mortgage-eligible, a VantageScore 4.0 of 620 or higher, if on-time rent appeared in their credit history. If you moved here for a job at Walmart's Bentonville headquarters, Tyson Foods in Springdale or J.B. Hunt in Lowell, pay rent from your bank account so the history is documented, and ask lenders whether the Fannie Mae rent route fits your file.
How Does Arkansas's 693 Average Credit Score Compare With Mortgage Score Minimums?
Arkansas's average FICO Score was 693 in 2025, down from 695 in 2024, according to Experian (September 2025 data). The national average was 713, so the state sits 713 - 693 = 20 points below it. Statewide, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (Sept. 25, 2025, 2025:Q1 data) reports that almost 1 in 10 (9.3%) Arkansas adults had no credit score in 2025, the highest rate of any Eighth District state, against 4.9% nationally.
Now set 693 against the lines that decide eligibility. FHA's Minimum Decision Credit Score thresholds of 500, 580 and 620 still apply under its new score policy (ABA Banking Journal, Oct. 9, 2026). The VantageScore report cited by RISMedia (Aug. 31, 2026) uses a VantageScore 4.0 of 620 or higher as its mortgage-eligibility line. The state average sits 693 - 620 = 73 points above that 620 mark.
A state average is not your score, and Experian's 693 is a FICO average while the 620 line is on the VantageScore 4.0 model, so the 73-point gap is a reference point, not a prediction. If you have no score at all, ask about the Fannie Mae rent route first. If your scores land near 620 rather than near 693, get reported rent onto all three bureaus before you apply.
What Should I Ask a Lender About Which Credit Score It Uses?
Start by asking which score model the lender will use on your loan. Then work through the three conditions Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac attached to VantageScore 4.0, per HousingWire (Sept. 9, 2026).
First, manually underwritten loans may use only Classic FICO, so ask whether your file would go through automated or manual underwriting. Second, a lender cannot mix Classic FICO and VantageScore 4.0 scores among borrowers on the same mortgage, so a co-borrower's file is scored on the same model as yours. Third, a lender using VantageScore 4.0 must request that score from each of the three national credit repositories, so check that your rent history appears on all three reports.
Pull your reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Ask every lender you are considering the same two questions, score model and underwriting type, and compare the answers. If you are buying with a partner, settle the model question before either of you applies, because both files will be scored the same way.
What Should You Do With These Numbers?
- Confirm rent reporting this month. Ask your landlord or property manager whether on-time rent goes to Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Nationally, only about 13% of consumers had rent reported in 2025 (TransUnion, March 2025), so assume yours is not until you see it.
- If it is not reported, consider a reporting service. CreditClimb costs $20 per year (Zillow, Nov. 19, 2025). Separately, ask lenders whether Desktop Underwriter can verify 12 months of rent from your bank statements (Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-2-03, Feb. 5, 2025).
- Pull all three credit reports before you apply. Check that rent shows on each, since a lender using VantageScore 4.0 must request the score from all three repositories (HousingWire, Sept. 9, 2026).
- Ask each lender to confirm in writing whether it will use Classic FICO or VantageScore 4.0. In the same message, ask whether your loan would be manually underwritten.
- If you plan an FHA loan, note the date. FHA's new score policy applies to case numbers assigned on or after January 1, 2027 (ABA Banking Journal, Oct. 9, 2026).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can rent payments help me qualify for a mortgage in Northwest Arkansas?
Yes, rent payments can help you qualify, through two routes. VantageScore 4.0 counts rent that appears on your credit reports. Fannie Mae's Desktop Underwriter can use 12 months of rent from a credit report or bank statement data if you have rented at $300 a month or more and have no mortgage reported, limited credit history or no score (Selling Guide B3-2-03, Feb. 5, 2025). Ask each lender which score model and underwriting path it uses.
Can I use FICO Score 10T on a Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac loan?
Not yet: FICO Score 10T cannot be delivered to either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, according to HousingWire (Sept. 9, 2026). For conventional loans sold to the two agencies, the choices are Classic FICO or VantageScore 4.0. FHA's policy allows Classic FICO, VantageScore 4.0 and FICO Score 10T for case numbers assigned on or after January 1, 2027 (ABA Banking Journal, Oct. 9, 2026).
How do I find out whether my rent is already on my credit reports?
Pull your reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, look for your rental payments, and ask your landlord or property manager whether they report. Do not assume they do: Zillow's release (Nov. 19, 2025), citing TransUnion, says about 87% of renters do not have rent payments in their credit reports. Check all three reports, because a lender using VantageScore 4.0 requests the score from each.
Does an FHA loan use VantageScore 4.0 yet?
No, not yet: FHA's policy allowing VantageScore 4.0 applies only to case numbers assigned on or after January 1, 2027 (ABA Banking Journal, Oct. 9, 2026). The Minimum Decision Credit Score thresholds of 500, 580 and 620 still apply, FHA will still require three credit reports, and each score model submitted must independently receive an accept recommendation for an overall Accept decision.
If you rent in Northwest Arkansas and are weighing a purchase, Mason Capital Group will give you a written score-model checklist in a first conversation: the questions to put to each lender, how to confirm your rent reporting on all three bureaus, and where your home search from Rogers to Fayetteville can start once your credit picture is clear. Call 479-925-3333 or visit us at 609 SW 8th Street, 6th Floor, Bentonville, AR 72712.
About the author: Cameron Torabi, Principal Broker — Mason Capital Group. 30+ years of Northwest Arkansas real estate expertise; $2.4B+ in cumulative transaction activity.
Figures in this article are drawn from HousingWire (Sept. 9, 2026), ABA Banking Journal (Oct. 9, 2026), TransUnion Newsroom (March 5-10, 2025 survey), Experian (September 2025), Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-2-03 (Feb. 5, 2025 version), the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (Sept. 25, 2025), the Zillow Group press release (Nov. 19, 2025) and RISMedia (Aug. 31, 2026).
Source: Mortgage credit scores are evolving. What homebuyers need to know, CNBC, September 15, 2026. Mason Capital Group is an independent advisory firm and is not affiliated with CNBC.