Consumer Alert
Your tenant background check shouldn’t have mistakes
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Some mistakes are harmless, but mistakes on a tenant background check? Those are serious and can result in a denied application and the loss of housing opportunities. That’s why the FTC and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) are stepping in.
Thousands of rental property owners and property management companies use tenant background checks from TransUnion Rental Screening Solutions, Inc. (TURSS). TURSS gets public record information for reports from several sources, including criminal records and records related to evictions. By law, TURSS must have reasonable procedures to make the information it reports as accurate as possible and keep mistakes from getting into peoples’ reports. But the FTC and CFPB say the company didn’t have the procedures it should have. For example, TURSS let eviction cases show up more than once, listed incomplete information about eviction cases, and didn’t take reasonable steps to keep sealed eviction cases off reports, according to the lawsuit.
In a proposed settlement with both agencies, TURSS will pay $11 million to people affected by certain company practices — a process that won’t begin until after the court approves the settlement. It will also pay a $4 million fine, stop reporting certain kinds of eviction records, and make other changes. If you qualify for a payment based on TURSS’s records, you will get a payment automatically. There is no claims process. If someone says they can get you a refund if you pay them, that’s a scam. Report them at ReportFraud.ftc.gov
Before you rent an apartment, read about your rights and what to do when someone checks your background report. If you think a landlord or property manager violated your rights, report it to the FTC.
I'm having this issue I rented a place and will try me and my daughter and we talked to the people and they said everything was fine and they work with people and they said if there is something it'll be like a conditional deposit which is not much and I said that's fine I know my credit is not great but it's not terrible so they lied they couldn't come up with anything else it's the fact that it was a discrimination issue they didn't want us there and so they made up something for us is not to be there and I'm over it and they said that we would get our application money back and I talked to her about that and I told her the situation I was in and she lied so now I got to find a lawyer that's going to help me so I can sue the company because they're just taking people's money and telling them that they would help them and then they turn around and not I don't understand this is the second time this has happened to me and you would have think I would have caught on to the things from before but messing with somebody with a disability mentally and that's messed up and then you think that's okay it's not so I'm trying to fight to get my $100 back from them because times is hard we're still in a recession and the pandemic is crazy and I don't have money to lose if you're not going to give me an apartment
In reply to I'm having this issue I… by Mel
First of all bud the pandemic's been over for a while. And just because your credit check didn't pass the application process doesn't mean they got to give you back your $100 application fee because that covers the fee to process your application which they did so the money has been spent by you for your application indirectly. Also maybe your credit isn't up to what they consider good credit if you're under $700 you have bad credit like it or not have a good day sir
This is great news. thank you Federal Trade Commission for holding these corporations accountable. $11 million to people who probably really need it.
FINALLY! After multiple COMPLAINTS filed about RENTGROW, Yardy, INC that continues to ruin my reputation and has left me homeless now you decide to do something! Rentgrow admitted to me that they didn’t have my social but provided a false report! To date, I still have not received a copy of the report requested but FTC not CFPB cared! CFPB said tell FTC multiple times and to date still nothing about RENTGROW, Yardi, INC being held accountable for ruining lives, more importantly my life!!! Ridiculous
I smiled because my time as a tenant was about 75 years ago! As a newly-wed.
Dee
In reply to I smiled because my time as… by D.Weaver
Why would you say this? This isn’t a joke. Everyone is so happy that you’ve never had to deal with the nightmare of trying to find a rental property, or fix erroneous information on consumer screening reports.
Some property managers also COLLECT background check fees from $25+ and never perform the background check.
What about other equally important things like jobs? If you have an arrest but no convictions it will still show up it seems with minimal information, but just enough to rule you out.
Please continue to help those who are low-income and trying to live .