How to Check Your Rental History Report

A rental history report provides a comprehensive record of an individual’s past rental behavior. This document details various aspects of a tenant’s history, offering insights into their reliability and adherence to lease agreements. Landlords frequently use these reports to assess prospective tenants, verifying information provided on applications and evaluating potential risks.

Understanding Your Rental History Report

A rental history report includes details about a tenant’s past. This information often includes previous addresses, dates of occupancy, and contact information for former landlords. It also details payment history, noting on-time payments, late payments, or bounced checks. Eviction records, including filings and judgments, are commonly listed, alongside public records such as bankruptcies or judgments related to housing. Any reported lease violations, such as property damage or unauthorized occupants, may also appear.

Specialized consumer reporting agencies, often called tenant screening bureaus, compile these reports. These agencies gather data from various sources, including landlords, property management companies, and public records. Some major credit bureaus may also offer rental history data as part of their broader consumer reports.

Landlords and property managers rely on these reports to evaluate prospective tenants. They help verify an applicant’s information, assess their financial responsibility, and evaluate their overall reliability.

Obtaining Your Rental History Report

To request your rental history report from a tenant screening agency, certain personal information is generally required. You will typically need to provide your full legal name, current and previous addresses with dates of residency, and your date of birth. A Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) is also commonly requested for identity verification purposes. Additionally, you may need to provide details from a government-issued identification, such as a driver’s license or state ID.

Specialized tenant screening companies are the primary sources for these comprehensive reports. These agencies facilitate requests through several common methods, including online portals, mail, or phone.

The process for requesting a report usually involves a few key steps. First, navigate to the agency’s website to locate their request form or online portal, or request a mail-in form. Fill out the request form with all the gathered personal information. You will then complete identity verification steps, which may include answering security questions or uploading scanned identification documents. Finally, submit your request.

Some rental history reports may be available for free annually under consumer protection laws. However, specific state laws or certain agencies may allow for a small fee for obtaining a copy of your report. Check the agency’s policy regarding fees before initiating a request.

Interpreting and Disputing Errors on Your Report

Once you obtain your rental history report, it is important to carefully review each section for accuracy and completeness. You should look for common types of errors such as incorrect addresses, misreported payment statuses, or mistaken identities. It is also important to check for outdated eviction records that should have been removed or any entries that do not pertain to your rental history. Verifying the accuracy of your report is important because landlords rely on this information when making decisions about rental applications.

Should you discover inaccurate or incomplete information, initiating a dispute with the consumer reporting agency that issued the report is the next step. Before submitting a dispute, gather information and documentation to support your claim. This includes identifying the item(s) being disputed, stating the reason for the dispute, and compiling supporting evidence.

Supporting documents can include rent receipts, copies of lease agreements, bank statements demonstrating timely payments, or court documents showing dismissed evictions. Any communication with former landlords that clarifies a disputed entry can also be valuable. Submitting the dispute can be done through the agency’s online dispute portal or by mail; sending it via certified mail is recommended for proof of submission.

The agency is typically obligated to investigate the dispute, usually within 30 to 45 days. You will be notified of the outcome. If the information is found to be inaccurate, the agency must correct or remove it from your report.

If the dispute is not resolved to your satisfaction, you have further options. These may include contacting the original information provider, submitting a statement of dispute to be included in your report, or reaching out to regulatory bodies, such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), for assistance. Seeking legal advice may also be an option if the issue persists.