Private landlords across the UAE can now access the credit scores of potential tenants through a newly introduced digital verification service launched by Etihad Credit Bureau (ECB) in collaboration with UAE PASS, reported Gulf News.
Using the ECB mobile application, landlords can request access to a potential tenant's credit score through the new "Tenant Screening" service.
Only after the tenant permits via UAE PASS, the country's digital identity platform, is the information shared.
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Before its broader launch on the ECB platform, the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) and Digital Dubai gave a preview of the service during GITEX 2025.
In the UAE rental market, where landlords and property managers have historically relied on salary certificates, bank statements, postdated checks, and employer paperwork during tenant verification, the development adds a formal financial screening layer.
According to Etihad Credit Bureau, the new method will provide homeowners more discretion over how their financial information is shared while also increasing transparency in rental transactions.
In a statement quoted by Gulf News, Marwan Ahmad Lutfi, Director General of Etihad Credit Bureau, stated, "The service was developed through collaboration between government and private sector entities to provide practical and easy-to-use digital solutions aligned with market needs."
Consent-based data access is the foundation of the procedure. A tenant's credit score can be requested by landlords; the data is only made public upon permission via UAE PASS.
With this rollout, UAE PASS's function is extended beyond identification verification to include consent-based financial data sharing. In order to provide citizens with online access to both public and private sector services, UAE PASS was first developed as a national digital identity and signature platform.
UAE PASS is developing into a "digital trust infrastructure" that facilitates safe consent management and cross-sector data interchange, according to Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Director General of Digital Dubai.
The effort was connected to the UAE's larger digital governance agenda by the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority. According to TDRA Director General Eng. Majed Sultan Al Mesmar, the platform aids in the nation's efforts to create a networked digital ecosystem that permits integrated and safe services.
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Etihad Credit Bureau announced changes to its Cheque Clearance Indicator feature in addition to the tenant-screening tool. Based on the issuer's credit history and the bureau's financial data, the improved system now employs artificial intelligence to assist check recipients in determining the probability of check clearance.
In areas of the UAE real estate market where postdated checks are frequently utilised for rent payments, conflicts pertaining to checks and late payments continue to be a persistent problem. In order to modernise payment systems and lessen business issues related to bounced checks, UAE authorities have implemented legal and regulatory adjustments during the past few years.
As part of its larger smart governance goal, the UAE government has concurrently boosted digitisation activities in the banking, real estate, and public services sectors. Consent-driven digital verification systems for onboarding, payments, and compliance checks are becoming more and more popular among financial institutions and government-affiliated organisations.
According to Etihad Credit Bureau, further consent-based services connected to UAE PASS are anticipated to be created in association with the real estate industry.
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