Credit Reports

Doing it right. Another component of the screening process is the credit check. A landlord must treat all applicants equally and hold all applicants to the same standard. Credit bureaus such as Equifax, Trans Union, or Experian provide credit reports, however you can also access consumer reports via the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to evaluate rental applications. As with everything, there are rules and the “The FCRA requires landlords who deny a lease based on information in the applicant’s consumer report to provide the applicant with an “adverse action notice.” The abridged version can be found on the Federal Trade Commission website located at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/landlord.shtm
In sum, if you deny an applicant based upon the consumer report you are obligated to provide a copy of the report to the applicant.