One of the smartest defenses you can put in place
A Welcome Freeze for Landlords: Credit Freeze
With winter in full swing in parts of the country, many of us are all too familiar with freezing temperatures. While this can make it tough to be a landlord, there’s a freeze that each of us should be familiar with, and taking advantage of, beginning immediately.
I’m talking about a credit freeze. It’s not just something that consumers need to worry about; for landlords, it can be one of the smartest (and easiest) defenses you can put in place.
As an investor and someone who relies on their rental business, your personal credit is often inseparable from your ability to operate. Financing, insurance rates, even your ability to expand your portfolio, all rely on your credit. In today’s environment—where identity theft, data breaches, and sophisticated fraud are increasingly common—placing a credit freeze should be viewed as a business continuity step, not just a personal precaution.
Landlords Are Prime Targets
As a landlord you manage high-value assets and frequently share sensitive information across multiple services: mortgage lenders, banks, tenant screening platforms, maintenance vendors, online payment portals, and property management software.
Each interaction creates another potential point of exposure. Even if you run a small portfolio, your data circulates far beyond what you realize. And because most landlords have stable credit histories, you are especially attractive to fraudsters who want to exploit your good credit to open new accounts, take out loans, or rack up debt in your name.
You Must be Operational
It’s easy to assume that identity theft is just a nuisance, but for you as a landlord, the consequences can be far more damaging and disruptive.
A fraudulent loan or credit line can damage your credit score and trigger higher interest rates or reduced borrowing power right when you need it—such as refinancing a property, funding repairs, or purchasing another unit. Worse yet, you might not discover the fraud until applying for financing, at which point the timing can be catastrophic.
A credit freeze blocks lenders from pulling your credit file unless you temporarily lift the freeze. This translates to criminals being unable to open new lines of credit in your name, even if they have your Social Security number and other details.
You’ll still be able to use existing credit cards and accounts normally, but you’ll reduce the risk of new account fraud, which is the most damaging kind.
Freezing Your Credit is Free, Fast, and Reversible
A major reason landlords haven’t adopted credit freezes more widely is outdated assumptions. Many people still believe credit freezes are expensive, complicated, or hard to undo. In reality, U.S. law requires the credit bureaus to offer them for free, and most freezes can be placed online in minutes. If you need to apply for a mortgage, open a new credit card, or finance a renovation, you can temporarily lift the freeze for a set time window and then re-freeze it once the transaction is complete.
As an investor, I suggest that you do these THREE things immediately:
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Put a freeze on your credit. Experian has made it easy to freeze and unfreeze. Create your freeze today at: https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html
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Use an online rent-payment system to manage your rental payments. These systems allow rent to be paid from bank account to bank account, without giving out your personal bank account numbers to your tenants. This will protect you from one more person having your personal information.
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Watch what you post online. When you search for your name, what do you see? I personally write many articles, do podcasts, record videos, and have my information everywhere, so people know me. Your social media is also the perfect medium for people to grab pictures or personal information. If you find yourself with a growing online presence or increased exposure, go back to No. 1 above and make sure you freeze your credit. You don’t want to be one of those 6,000 daily reports of fraud going to the FTC.
Professional Level Protection
Landlords often invest in security systems, smoke detectors, liability insurance, and legal protections for leases.
Freezing your credit belongs in that same category: a foundational safeguard. It’s not about paranoia—it’s about recognizing that your identity is an asset, and like any asset, it deserves protection.
Taking 15 minutes today to freeze your credit can save you months of headaches later—and help ensure your rental business remains stable, scalable, and secure.
Source: Rental Housing Journal
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