Author

Owen Mackenzie

Credit reporter

8+ years experience

Owen spent six years in consumer lending, reading credit files from the other side of the desk. He writes about how Canadian credit scores work, what moves them and what does not, in plain language. His rule for every piece is that a reader should be able to open their own Equifax or TransUnion report afterwards and understand each line on it. He is skeptical of quick credit fixes and prefers the slow, boring habits that actually show up on a file a year later.

Credentials

  • Six years in consumer lending and credit adjudication
  • Covers Canadian credit reporting, scores and rent reporting
  • Reviews credit-building products for renters with thin files
  • Flat illustration of a report page with a magnifying glass held over one highlighted row

    What a landlord actually sees when they check your credit

    A rental application can ask for permission to pull your credit report. Here is what is on it, what is not, what you are entitled to refuse, and how to prepare if your file is thin or bruised.

    Owen Mackenzie 6 min read

  • credit cards, denim, jeans, blue jeans
    Credit & rewards

    Equifax's Q2 2026 Credit Data: Why Renters Fall Behind More Often

    Canadians without a mortgage are missing payments at roughly three times the rate of mortgage holders. Here is what the latest Equifax and Bank of Canada numbers say, and how a renter can stay on the right side of them.

    Owen Mackenzie 7 min read

  • Flat illustration of a glass jar filling with coins, set above a horizontal timeline marked with monthly ticks

    Can paying rent build your credit?

    For most Canadian renters, years of on-time rent leave no trace on a credit report, but that is slowly changing, and it helps to know how the reporting actually works.

    Owen Mackenzie 5 min read

  • Flat illustration of a payment card with a semicircular gauge above it, its needle pointing toward the upper end

    Your credit score in Canada, explained

    Two bureaus, a scale from 300 to 900 and a handful of habits that move the number: here is how credit scores actually work in Canada.

    Owen Mackenzie 5 min read