{"id":23086,"date":"2023-12-27T16:01:52","date_gmt":"2023-12-27T16:01:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/?p=23086"},"modified":"2023-12-27T16:01:52","modified_gmt":"2023-12-27T16:01:52","slug":"are-you-using-tenant-screening-tools-legally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/are-you-using-tenant-screening-tools-legally\/","title":{"rendered":"Are You Using Tenant Screening Tools Legally?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Property managers must abide by strict rules when using common reports to determine the eligibility of prospective renters. Make sure you know what you can and can\u2019t do with the information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When a rental application is under consideration, most property managers and landlords require a prospective tenant\u2019s credit report, credit score, and, usually, a background check and eviction screening. Thanks to technology that makes receiving these reports fast and simple, rental screening is easier than at any time in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a property manager with the opportunity to participate in rental transactions, chances are you\u2019re familiar with the following passage from the Fair Credit Reporting Act:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Any person who knowingly and willfully obtains information on a consumer from a consumer reporting agency under false pretenses shall be fined under title 18, United States Code, imprisoned for not more than 2 years, or both.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The FCRA protects all consumers\u2014including you and me\u2014related to our personal data, such as credit, payment patterns, debt, and court records. This information is collected, stored, and, when inquired about by a creditor, provided by one of several consumer reporting agencies like TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. Thankfully, the FCRA requires agencies to maintain accurate and complete records. It requires that our private data remain private by imposing specific guidelines for providing it. CRAs may distribute a person\u2019s data if there is \u201cpermissible purpose\u201d and the consumer has consented to its release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For property managers, this is understandably where things become confusing, making the prospect of conducting a rental transaction daunting. Much of the concern stems from questions that swirl around the proper handling of the tenant\u2019s reports. Let\u2019s discuss these important questions and make sense of the issues at hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What defines permissible purpose?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Who orders reports?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Who should receive reports?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Can reports be shared between real estate professionals?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Can I share reports with the landlord?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Permissible purpose.<\/strong> Let\u2019s say someone applying for a mortgage grants permission to a lender to pull his or her credit report. Mortgage lending is a \u201cpermissible purpose\u201d as defined by the FCRA. So is tenant screening. The use of all reports must conform to their intended permissible purpose. A report pulled for a tenant\u2019s rental screening must be used for this purpose alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ordering and receiving reports.<\/strong> Reports can be ordered by the tenant or property manager who has received the appropriate permissions. But who orders the report isn\u2019t really as important as who receives it. To safeguard the consumer, the FCRA mandates that all who receive reports must be credentialed, or vetted in advance. Credentialed recipients are known as \u201cend users\u201d\u2014those who receive the report for its ultimate use in accordance with its permissible purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Credentialing.<\/strong> Companies such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tenantverify.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TenantVerify.net(link is external)<\/a>, which I own, allow tenants to order reports and authorize delivery directly to a credentialed recipient, such as a listing broker. Credentialing the broker in advance with paperwork and a site visit to their physical location is required before delivery of reports can happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Who can\u2019t receive reports.<\/strong> Now that we have established who can take delivery of a report, let\u2019s discuss who should not: an agent representing the tenant. This cannot be stressed enough. All reports must go to the credentialed end user for use in accordance with its intended permissible purpose\u2014rental screening. Since the tenant\u2019s agent does not make the decision on tenancy, they have no legal standing to receive the report. Additionally, if a tenant\u2019s agent were to receive the report, subsequent redistribution to another, such as a listing broker, listing agent, or landlord, is not permissible. Even credentialed brokers with appropriate permission to receive reports aren\u2019t authorized to distribute them to another real estate pro. In an effort to safeguard privacy, the FCRA limits the flow of consumer data directly and only to credentialed entities with permissible purpose. Consumer reporting is one of several tools available to screen tenants. The rules, though there are many, are actually quite logical. Brokers and agents should know the laws that govern the use of consumer reports and have a reputable service provider to rely on for safe and legally compliant rental screening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00a9National Association of REALTORS\u00ae<br \/>Reprinted with permission<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Property managers must abide by strict rules when using common reports to determine the eligibility of prospective renters. Make sure you know what you can and can\u2019t do with the information. When a rental application is under consideration, most property managers and landlords require a prospective tenant\u2019s credit report, credit score, and, usually, a background &hellip; <\/p>\n<p><a class=\"more-link btn\" href=\"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/are-you-using-tenant-screening-tools-legally\/\">Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,8],"tags":[5,32,4,9],"class_list":["post-23086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-real-estate-tips","tag-anthony-didonato","tag-news","tag-real-estate","tag-tips","item-wrap"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Are You Using Tenant Screening Tools Legally? - Real Estate Agent and Sales in PA - Anthony DiDonato Broomall, Media, Delaware County and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.anthonydidonato.net\/wordpress\/are-you-using-tenant-screening-tools-legally\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/are-you-using-tenant-screening-tools-legally\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/are-you-using-tenant-screening-tools-legally\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/964792b6994e8cc4cbddc36ad4824908\"},\"headline\":\"Are You Using Tenant Screening Tools Legally?\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-12-27T16:01:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/are-you-using-tenant-screening-tools-legally\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":718,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/964792b6994e8cc4cbddc36ad4824908\"},\"keywords\":[\"Anthony DiDonato\",\"News\",\"Real Estate\",\"tips\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\",\"Real Estate Tips\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/are-you-using-tenant-screening-tools-legally\\\/\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/are-you-using-tenant-screening-tools-legally\\\/\",\"name\":\"Are You Using Tenant Screening Tools Legally? - Real Estate Agent and Sales in PA - Anthony DiDonato Broomall, Media, Delaware County and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-12-27T16:01:52+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/are-you-using-tenant-screening-tools-legally\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/are-you-using-tenant-screening-tools-legally\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/are-you-using-tenant-screening-tools-legally\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Are You Using Tenant Screening Tools Legally?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"Real Estate Agent and Sales in PA - Anthony DiDonato Broomall, Media, Delaware County and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania\",\"description\":\"Properties and Real Estate for Sale\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/964792b6994e8cc4cbddc36ad4824908\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/964792b6994e8cc4cbddc36ad4824908\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/anthony-110x150.jpg\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/anthony-110x150.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/anthony-110x150.jpg\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.anthonydidonato.net\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/03\\\/anthony-110x150.jpg\"},\"description\":\"For all of your Real Estate needs, place yourself in the competent hands of a career Realtor who is a Philadelphia native and Delaware County resident. Skilled, smart and enthusiastic about his work and his life, Anthony DiDonato has the appealing combination of business sense and people skills gives him an edge in an industry that demands both. Educated at Drexel University with a dual major in accounting and finance and minors in management and psychology Anthony DiDonato offers over 25 years of experience in the real estate industry. He has been a real estate investor since 1985 and a member of H.A.P.C.O. (Landlord Association). He became a licensed Realtor in 1992 and a member of the Local, Pennsylvania and National Associations of Realtors. Anthony DiDonato is also a member of the Computerized Multiple Listings, (MLS) and Internet Marketing Programs. In 1997 Anthony DiDonato became Century 21 All-Elite, Inc. Corporate Secretary. Anthony DiDonato believes in taking his profession to the highest level of quality service. He is known for finding that \u201cperfect\u201d property in Philadelphia, Delaware County, Chester County, Montgomery County and surrounding areas in Pennsylvania for his buyers and helping his sellers prepare their properties so they sell quickly and efficiently. When it comes time to negotiate the terms of a contract, Anthony DiDonato has the knowledge, experience, and professionalism applied to meeting \u2013 or exceeding \u2013 his clients\u2019 expectations. His service to his clients is second to none. His honesty and integrity have been his claim to fame. 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Skilled, smart and enthusiastic about his work and his life, Anthony DiDonato has the appealing combination of business sense and people skills gives him an edge in an industry that demands both. Educated at Drexel University with a dual major in accounting and finance and minors in management and psychology Anthony DiDonato offers over 25 years of experience in the real estate industry. He has been a real estate investor since 1985 and a member of H.A.P.C.O. (Landlord Association). He became a licensed Realtor in 1992 and a member of the Local, Pennsylvania and National Associations of Realtors. Anthony DiDonato is also a member of the Computerized Multiple Listings, (MLS) and Internet Marketing Programs. In 1997 Anthony DiDonato became Century 21 All-Elite, Inc. Corporate Secretary. Anthony DiDonato believes in taking his profession to the highest level of quality service. 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