Generally yes. Federal law lets landlords use credit reports when you apply to rent. But if credit information leads to a denial or worse terms, the landlord must give you an adverse action notice, and if a credit score was used, disclose the score and the key factors that hurt it.
According to the FTC, landlords may get consumer reports on applicants and tenants who apply to rent housing or renew a lease. A credit report is one of the reports a landlord may order, either directly or as part of a tenant screening package. The CFPB’s November 2022 report identified credit reports and scores as one of three areas of challenges for renters in tenant screening.
Permissible purpose
Under § 1681b, a landlord needs a permissible purpose to get your report. Applying to rent generally supplies one. The FTC also says landlords must certify to the screening company that they will use the report only for housing purposes.
The notice you are owed
If a landlord denies you, requires a co-signer, requires a larger deposit, or charges higher rent based in whole or in part on a report, the FTC says it must give you an adverse action notice with:
- the name, address, and phone number of the company that supplied the report,
- a statement that the company did not make the decision and cannot give the specific reasons,
- your right to a free copy of the report within 60 days, and
- your right to dispute inaccurate information.
If the landlord used a credit score, it must also tell you the score, the range of possible scores, the date it was created, who created it, and the key factors that adversely affected it, listed in order of importance (§ 1681m(a)).
State and local rules
State and local laws may add limits on how landlords use credit history. Check the rules where you are applying.
What to do
- Get the free copy of the report the landlord used.
- Look for accounts that are not yours, debts reported after they were paid, or outdated items.
- Dispute errors with the company that reported them.
If an error in a credit or screening report cost you a rental, a free case review can help you understand your options, with no fee unless we win.
Related
- Tenant screening lawsuits
- How to Dispute a Tenant Screening Report: Evictions, Sealed Records and Wrong-Person Errors
Sources
- FTC: Using Consumer Reports: What Landlords Need to Know
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681b (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681m (Cornell LII)
- CFPB: Tenant Background Checks Market (Nov. 2022)
Updated November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.