The Federal Trade Commission has warned operators of six websites that share information about consumers’ rental histories with
landlords that they may be subject to the requirements of the Fair
Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
The letters inform the six operators that, if they collect information on tenants and their rental
history and provide that information to landlords to use in deciding whether to rent to those tenants, they are considered credit
reporting agencies and are subject to certain legal requirements. The FTC has not determined whether the
six have violated the FCRA, but the letters encourage them to review their
business practices to ensure compliance.
The FTC 's press release identifies the companies as The BlueChip Group LLC (www.donotrentto.com), M & R Rental
Properties (www.badtenantlistings.com), The Landlord Protection Agency
(www.thelpa.com), National Tenant Network (ntnonline.com), 123 Rent Inc.
(therentersblacklist.com), and Tenancy Bureau Inc.
(www.tenancybureau.us).
Unfortunately, many consumers across the nation have seen their credit histories used against them in cases where a credit report is either irrelevant or completed without the consumer’s knowledge. The FTC is right to encourage the operators of these websites to review their business practices. If laws like the FCRA are not enforced with these sites, it may open the doors in the future for other agencies to exploit legal loopholes to run more reports without consumer consent.