At Evlo, we work every day with people who are trying to improve their financial position. Many have overcome previous credit challenges and are doing everything right. They pay their bills.

They manage their budgets. They meet their rental commitments month after month. Yet when they apply for mainstream financial products, that track record is often invisible.

Meanwhile, a mobile phone contract or credit card can play a much bigger role in building a credit file than years of successfully paying rent.

The question is simple: why? Renting is no longer a short stop on the road to home ownership. For millions of people, it is a long-term reality. Across the country, hardworking tenants are spending significant proportions of their income on housing while demonstrating precisely the sort of financial responsibility lenders say they want to see. Yet that evidence is too often missing from the data used to make important financial decisions.

At a time when politicians regularly talk about expanding home ownership and improving financial inclusion, it seems perverse that we continue to overlook one of the clearest indicators of financial responsibility available to us.

That is why we launched the Financial Freedom for Everyone campaign.

Last year, we brought together a coalition of businesses, charities and financial services organisations to call for change. More than fifteen organisations signed an open letter to Chancellor Rachel Reeves, including ClearScore, the Finance & Leasing Association, The Money Charity, Moneyline and the Consumer Credit Trade Association.

Together, we made a straightforward case: Britain’s credit system should reflect how people actually manage their money in the modern economy.

In our letter, we warned that millions of renters are being unfairly locked out of financial opportunities because their largest monthly expense is not routinely reflected in their credit histories. We argued that if mortgage payments can help demonstrate creditworthiness, there is no good reason why rental payments should be treated differently.

This is about creating a level playing field. Rent is a major household expense, yet unlike mortgage payments it often does not contribute to a person’s credit history. That discrepancy creates an obvious unfairness between renters and homeowners, despite both groups demonstrating their ability to meet significant housing costs month after month.

This is not simply a housing issue. It is a financial inclusion issue.

When people have thin credit files, they can struggle to access affordable borrowing and competitive financial products. A system that overlooks years of successful rent payments is missing a valuable indicator of financial behaviour.

The encouraging news is that the problem is solvable. We are not calling for an expensive new infrastructure project or a wholesale redesign of the UK’s credit system. In fact, much of the capability already exists.

Our campaign has focused on a practical reform that would make a real difference: ensuring that rental payment data is consistently incorporated into credit files. Momentum behind the campaign continues to build.

Since our open letter to Rachel Reeves was published in City AM, we have worked hard to keep this issue on the political agenda. Our parliamentary champion, Sam Carling MP, has been instrumental in that effort, consistently raising the issue in the House of Commons. Sam has also made the argument in a way that resonates with so many renters. As he recently wrote, why should a £10 phone contract do more for a young person’s credit file than the rent they faithfully pay every month?

It is a question that policymakers increasingly recognise needs an answer.

Behind the scenes, we have also had positive engagement with ministers, with growing recognition that the current system does not adequately reflect how millions of people manage their finances. We have continued providing evidence and practical proposals to help move the conversation forward.

Looking ahead, there is a genuine opportunity to deliver meaningful reform. With the Financial Services and Markets Bill making its way through Parliament, the conditions exist to address a long-standing gap in the system.

Ultimately, this comes down to fairness. For decades, we have accepted a system that rewards some forms of financial responsibility while ignoring others. But if someone reliably pays their biggest monthly expense year after year, that behaviour should count for something.

Millions of renters have already proven they can manage their finances responsibly. The financial system should recognise that reality.

It’s time to stop treating renters as financially invisible. It’s time to make financial freedom available to everyone.