With a new screening filter before the signing of a lease, the government is introducing the Tenant Creditworthiness Registry to the rental market, aiming to curb bad payers and “blind” leases. The digital tool will enter pilot operation in the coming period and will be fully activated by mid-year, effectively changing the way leases are concluded.

In practice, the Registry will function as a database recording rental behavior, with information drawn from the digital systems of the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE) and linked to declared lease data. The focus will be on delays or systematic non-payment, overdue debts from declared rents, as well as cases where there have been final court rulings for unpaid rent. The goal is to create a concise but reliable creditworthiness profile that can be taken into account before each new lease.

Access to the Registry will not be open or unrestricted. Property owners will not see detailed financial data, but only basic indicators of payment consistency, while each check will be carried out with the tenant’s consent, following the model already applied in other European countries. At the same time, the new framework gives prospective tenants the option, if they wish, to present a certificate of creditworthiness confirming that they have no overdue debts to the public or private sector, in order to document their reliability and reduce landlords’ reservations before signing the contract.

The pilot phase, scheduled for early 2026, will serve as a testing ground for data cross-checks, system resilience, and personal data protection safeguards. At this stage, the Registry is expected to be interconnected with myPROPERTY and lease declarations, so that consistency in the payment of declared rents is recorded in real time and automatically updated in cases of lease termination. Provided there are no legal or technical obstacles, full implementation of the system is planned for mid-2026, with prospects for expansion to commercial leases as well.

The plan for the Creditworthiness Registry is not a new idea, as it has been under technical discussion at the Ministry of National Economy and Finance since 2024 and is now being incorporated into a broader framework of digital interventions concerning the real estate market and private debt management. The logic of the measure is to strengthen trust in leases and create conditions for more properties to return to the long-term rental market.

The impact on the real estate market is expected to be significant. Many owners currently keep their apartments empty not because they do not need them, but because they fear a bad lease, a lengthy legal dispute, or a tenant who disappears leaving unpaid bills behind. The ability for tenants to present a “good payer” certificate is expected to act as a substantial incentive for these homes to return to the market, boosting the supply of rental housing.

Indicative is the position of POMIDA, which has repeatedly raised the issue, noting that when a bank knows everything about a consumer applying for a loan of a few thousand euros, it is unreasonable for the owner of a high-value property to know nothing about the person to whom they will entrust their home.

In the same context, the idea of rent insurance is also gaining ground in the real estate market as a complementary risk management tool. These are insurance products that cover payment delays, loss of income, and legal expenses, while in cases of default the insurance pays the rent to the owner and even covers legal actions for eviction and debt recovery.

Closing
Market reactions, however, remain mixed. Property owners see the new Registry as a tool for protection against strategic bad payers, while tenant groups are calling for clear guarantees to ensure that evaluations do not lead to exclusions. What is certain is that rentals are entering a new phase, where a tenant’s “good reputation” acquires, for the first time, an institutional role before the final signatures are placed on the contract.