FCRA Compliance

1. Overview

Tenant Scan is committed to full compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), 15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq. We operate as a Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA) and take our obligations under the FCRA seriously.

The FCRA is a federal law that promotes the accuracy, fairness, and privacy of information in the files of consumer reporting agencies. For more information about the FCRA, visit:

• FTC - Fair Credit Reporting Act
• CFPB - Credit Reports and Scores
• FCRA Full Text (PDF)

2. What is a Consumer Report?

Under the FCRA, a consumer report is any written, oral, or other communication that bears on a consumer's creditworthiness, credit standing, credit capacity, character, general reputation, personal characteristics, or mode of living, which is used or collected for the purpose of serving as a factor in establishing eligibility for credit, insurance, employment, or other permissible purposes.

Tenant Scan generates consumer reports that include:

• Identity verification
• Income and employment verification (obtained through Plaid)
• Rental payment history analysis
• Criminal history records
• Eviction history records
• Risk assessment scores

3. Your Rights Under the FCRA

As a consumer, you have important rights under the FCRA:

3.1 Right to Access Your Report

You have the right to obtain a copy of your consumer report. You can request your report at any time by contacting us at support@tenantscan.app.

3.2 Right to Dispute Inaccurate Information

If you believe information in your consumer report is inaccurate or incomplete, you have the right to dispute it. We will investigate your dispute within 30 days and correct or delete any inaccurate information.

3.3 Right to Know Who Has Accessed Your Report

You have the right to know which landlords or other authorized parties have accessed your consumer report within the past 12 months.

3.4 Right to Opt-Out

You have the right to withdraw your application and prevent the sharing of your consumer report with a landlord at any time before you provide authorization.

3.5 Right to Add a Statement

If you dispute information and the dispute is not resolved to your satisfaction, you have the right to add a statement of dispute to your file, which will be included in future reports.

4. Permissible Purposes

Under the FCRA, consumer reports may only be furnished for specific permissible purposes. For tenant screening, the permissible purpose is:

• In accordance with the written instructions of the consumer (you)
• For use by a landlord in connection with a rental housing transaction involving the consumer

Landlords using our services must certify that they have a permissible purpose and will use the information only for evaluating rental applications in compliance with fair housing laws.

5. Adverse Action Notices

If a landlord takes adverse action against you (such as denying your rental application) based in whole or in part on information in your consumer report, the FCRA requires the landlord to:

• Provide you with written notice of the adverse action
• Provide the name, address, and phone number of Tenant Scan as the consumer reporting agency that furnished the report
• Inform you that Tenant Scan did not make the decision and cannot explain why the decision was made
• Inform you of your right to obtain a free copy of your consumer report from Tenant Scan
• Inform you of your right to dispute the accuracy or completeness of information in your report

For more information, see the FTC Guide for Landlords.

6. How We Process Your Information

Financial Data Processing:

• We use Plaid to securely access your financial information for verification purposes
• We generate a consumer report based on aggregated verification data
• We do NOT store your detailed transaction-level financial data
• We do NOT share your specific bank transactions with landlords
• The consumer report contains verification summaries (income, employment, rental history) but not granular transaction details

For more information about Plaid's data practices, visit How Plaid Handles Data.

7. Report Transparency

Important: The consumer report you receive is identical to the report shared with landlords you authorize. There are no hidden details or additional information provided to landlords that you cannot see.

This ensures full transparency and allows you to review exactly what information landlords will see before you authorize the release of your report.

8. How to Dispute Information

If you find inaccurate or incomplete information in your consumer report, follow these steps:

1. Submit a Dispute: Contact us at support@tenantscan.app with:
   • Your name and contact information
   • Identification of the information you are disputing
   • Explanation of why you believe the information is inaccurate
   • Any supporting documentation
2. Investigation: We will investigate your dispute within 30 days
3. Results: We will provide you with the results of our investigation and any changes made to your report
4. Notice to Users: If we make changes to your report, we will notify any landlords who have accessed your report in the past 6 months

9. Identity Theft Protection

If you believe you are a victim of identity theft, you have additional rights under the FCRA:

• Right to place a fraud alert on your consumer reports
• Right to place a security freeze on your consumer reports
• Right to obtain free copies of your consumer reports
• Right to dispute fraudulent information

For more information, visit:

• IdentityTheft.gov (FTC)
• CFPB Fraud and Scams Resources

10. Accuracy and Reasonable Procedures

Tenant Scan maintains reasonable procedures designed to:

• Ensure maximum possible accuracy of consumer reports
• Limit the furnishing of consumer reports to permissible purposes
• Verify the identity of users requesting consumer reports
• Investigate and correct disputed information
• Maintain the confidentiality and security of consumer information

11. State-Specific Rights

Some states provide additional consumer protections beyond the FCRA. You may have additional rights under state law, including:

• California: Additional rights under the Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act (ICRAA)
• New York: Additional disclosure requirements
• Other states may have specific tenant screening regulations

For information about your state-specific rights, contact your state attorney general's office or consumer protection agency.

12. Contact Us

For questions about your rights under the FCRA, to request a copy of your consumer report, or to dispute information, please contact us:

Email: support@tenantscan.app

Additional FCRA Resources

• FTC - Fair Credit Reporting Act Full Text
• CFPB - Understanding Consumer Reports
• FTC - Disputing Errors on Credit Reports
• FTC - Guide for Landlords Using Consumer Reports
• CFPB - Credit Reporting FAQs