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An applicant says the tenant screening report is wrong: what a landlord should do

DoorKeeping team

4 min read

You cannot fix a screening report, and neither can the applicant by talking to you. The applicant disputes it with the consumer reporting agency that made it, which has 30 days to reinvestigate (up to 45 in some cases) and must delete anything inaccurate or unverifiable. Your job is to give the proper adverse action notice, listen without arguing, and take a fair second look once a corrected report exists.

What does the applicant already know from your notice?

If the report was a reason, even in part, for declining or for worse terms, 15 U.S.C. 1681m(a) requires you to tell the consumer. The notice can be oral, written or electronic, though the FTC says written is the best practice. It must give the name, address and phone number of the consumer reporting agency, say that the agency did not make the decision and cannot give the specific reasons for it, and tell the consumer about the right to a free copy of the report if they ask within 60 days and the right to dispute accuracy or completeness with the agency.

That means the applicant knows where to go. When one tells you the report is wrong, point to the notice rather than trying to judge the dispute yourself.

What does the agency have to do?

Section 1681i of the Fair Credit Reporting Act sets the clock. The agency must complete its reinvestigation within 30 days of receiving the dispute. It may extend that by up to 15 days, to 45 in total, if the consumer sends relevant information during the 30 days. Within 5 business days of receiving the dispute it must tell the party that furnished the information, and if the reinvestigation finds an item inaccurate, incomplete or unverifiable, it must promptly delete or modify it and notify the furnisher.

Example a made-up applicant disputes an eviction record on Monday, November 2, 2026. The agency has until Wednesday, December 2 to finish, or until about December 17 if the applicant sends more documents during that time. A landlord who needs an answer sooner can still look at the applicant's own court paperwork in the meantime.

What mistakes do reports usually contain?

You do not need a statistic to know the types. They are the ones you can check on the page:

  • A record that belongs to someone with a similar or identical name, with a different date of birth or middle name.
  • An eviction filing shown as a judgment when the case was dismissed or settled.
  • A debt shown as open that the applicant paid or that is the same debt listed twice.
  • A criminal record that was expunged, sealed or reduced, or a charge shown with no outcome. Some states bar you from considering these at all, see the criminal history guide.

Match the identifying details on the report against the application and ID. A mismatch you can see yourself is a reason to pause before you act on that line.

How do you take a fair second look?

  1. Do not argue the point. Say that the agency handles disputes and that you will look again when you have a corrected report.
  2. Ask for evidence the applicant already has, such as a court dismissal, a payoff letter or a copy of the dispute letter.
  3. Give the applicant a reasonable date to bring it, and tell every applicant the same date rule.
  4. Re-run or re-read the report once the agency corrects it, and compare it to your written criteria.
  5. Decide again under the same written rule, record why, and if you still decline, send a new notice.

Do not hold a unit open indefinitely. Moving on to the next qualified applicant in your order is allowed if your written process says so and you applied it to everyone.

What should you keep and then destroy?

Keep the notice you sent, the date, the criteria you applied and what the applicant gave you. When you are done with a consumer report, the FTC says you must securely dispose of the report and any information gathered from it, by shredding, burning or pulverizing paper and making electronic data unreadable. See how long to keep applications for the retention side.

How DoorKeeping handles it

DoorKeeping runs screening through Checkr, and where your state's cap allows it the applicant pays Checkr on Checkr's own page, so DoorKeeping never sees a Social Security number. You write one screening rule for the property, nothing is decided automatically, and you approve or decline every applicant yourself with one tap. You write one rule for the property and apply it the same way to every applicant, and you make each decision yourself. DoorKeeping gives general information, not legal advice. Check the current statute and talk to a local attorney if a case is contested.

Sources

  1. 15 U.S.C. 1681m, Requirements on users of consumer reports (Cornell Law School LII), read Oct 31, 2026
  2. 15 U.S.C. 1681i, Procedure in case of disputed accuracy (Cornell Law School LII), read Oct 31, 2026
  3. Using Consumer Reports: What Landlords Need to Know (FTC), read Oct 31, 2026

Questions

Can a landlord correct an error on a tenant screening report?
No. Only the consumer reporting agency that made the report can change it, after the applicant disputes it with the agency.
How long does a screening company have to fix a disputed item?
Thirty days from receiving the dispute, extended to 45 if the consumer sends relevant information during the 30 days (15 U.S.C. 1681i(a)(1)).
Do I have to rent to an applicant whose report was corrected?
No, but you must reconsider under your written criteria and decide the same way you would for anyone else with that corrected report.

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