If a screening report played any part in the denial, the landlord must give you an adverse action notice naming the screening company and explaining your right to a free copy of the report and to dispute it. Federal law does not require the landlord to list every reason.
Section 1681m(a) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires anyone who takes adverse action based in whole or in part on a consumer report to give the person notice. The FTC’s guidance for landlords explains that this applies even if the report was only a small part of the decision.
What the notice must include
- The name, address, and phone number of the tenant screening company that supplied the report
- A statement that the screening company did not make the decision and cannot give the specific reasons for it
- Your right to dispute inaccurate information with the screening company
- Your right to a free copy of the report if you ask within 60 days
If the landlord used a credit score, it must also disclose the score, its range, the date it was created, who created it, and the key factors that hurt it.
The FTC says oral notices are allowed, but it recommends written notices.
What counts as being denied
According to the FTC, adverse action includes more than an outright rejection. It also includes requiring a co-signer, requiring a deposit that would not be required of another applicant, requiring a larger deposit, or charging higher rent than another applicant.
What the notice does not require
The FCRA does not require the landlord to explain every reason for its decision. State or local law may add requirements, so check the rules where you live.
What to do
- Ask the landlord in writing whether a screening report was used and which company provided it.
- Request your free report from that company within 60 days.
- Dispute anything that is wrong.
If a landlord denied you based on a report and never gave you a notice, or the report was inaccurate, 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. § 1681m (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681j (Cornell LII)
Updated November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.