Inaccurate tenant screening reports can cost you a place to live. Landlords often rely on screening companies to provide quick background and credit summaries, but when those reports contain errors, the consequences can be immediate and serious.
We regularly see problems such as eviction records that belong to someone with a similar name, cases that were dismissed still reported as evictions, outdated information that should no longer appear, duplicate entries, or criminal or credit information that is incomplete or misleading. In tight rental markets, even a small inaccuracy can lead to a denial.
Under federal law, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act, tenant screening companies must follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy. When you dispute incorrect information, they must conduct a reasonable reinvestigation and correct or delete information that cannot be verified. Landlords who rely on these reports also have legal obligations before denying housing based on a screening report.
If you were denied housing because of an inaccurate tenant screening report, Goolsby Law Office, LLC, offers free consultations. We will review what happened, explain your rights, and determine whether legal action is the right step to hold the reporting company, and in some cases the landlord, accountable.