Re: Tenant database - Landlord Forum thread 324626

Re: Tenant database by Kim (WV) on September 17, 2014 @21:10

OK, Dan, my bad. It's may not actually be completely illegal but there is a backlash building against it. There are a number of blacklists out there and some of them have gotten warning letters from the FTC. Here's a quote from the 2013 article in the Santa Barbara Independent titled "FTC Warns Tenant Blacklisting Websites"

"The FTC letter advises the recipients to comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”). “This letter concerns your company’s website, [insert URL], which provides tenant rental history reports. We want to make you aware of the requirements of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”), a federal law enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC” or “Commission”), so that you can ensure your website and practices are in compliance with the law.”

The FTC letter stops short of accusing the recipients of violating the FCRA, despite ample evidence on the websites of practices harmful to tenants."

You should find the article and read it; it's pretty informative. Now, if you want to keep your own blacklist and not share it, that's OK. It's making the information public and sharing it that's the issue, I believe.

[ Reply ] [ Return to forum ]