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The Business of Rental Screening

"It's Just Reality"

Rental Screening • TransUnion Gets Into Tenant Screening Business • The Business of Strangers • Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed? • Knowing the SCOREX • The Human Factor • It's Just Reality --- • More Privacy News ...

Rental screening is not a clear-cut case of the poor consumer David versus the evil corporate Goliath. As anyone who's ever moved into an apartment can attest, the previous tenants can often render a property uninhabitable, costing time, money, and stress for landlords and new tenants alike.

In the words of Robert Griswold, author of "Property Management for Dummies", "If someone has had trouble paying the rent once, they are a higher risk. It's not rocket science. It's just reality."

Nevertheless, the odds are stacked heavily against consumers and renters in the high-stakes property leasing world. With tenant screening becoming the industry standard, more and more consumers find themselves in an unforgiving situation, where any past mistakes or failures will haunt them for years to come.

There are options, however. All consumers are entitled to a copy of their FAR file for free if information in the file has resulted in "adverse action" being taken against them, if they can prove there are inaccuracies on the file, or if they are unemployed and seeking public assistance.

Certain states' laws also allow consumers to obtain a copy of their FAR file for free, while consumers have to pay an $8 "processing fee" in other states.

Jeffrey Wilens is leading a class action suit against FAR in California, on charges of "tenant blacklisting" and denial of rent based on inaccurate information in their reports. He urges anyone who has grievances against companies like FAR to seek legal assistance.

"Tenants have recourse under federal law as well as the law of many states…They can recover damages, plus legal fees." (The company he originally filed suit against, U.D. Registry, was bought out by FAR in the spring of 2004.)

Julia Thompson believes that "the whole system needs to be revamped", and that there are not nearly enough companies like hers, which allow consumers to check on their own reference data and find out what's being said about them.

Ultimately, it's important for renters to stay up-to-date on payments for obvious reasons, but also to avoid "black marks" being placed in their records for years to come.

With the ever-increasing flow of the information trade, consumers need to be constantly vigilant regarding their personal histories, and have the knowledge to pursue redress if unfair actions are taken against them. Otherwise, the next time they apply to rent an apartment, they may find themselves helplessly locked out of any opportunity, banging on a screen door that can't be opened.

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