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The Obscure Yet Powerful Tenant-Screening Industry Is Finally Getting Some Scrutiny
Reforms have been in the works for years, but a looming eviction crisis has made them urgent
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When Zombie Data Costs You a Home
Even when people get their criminal records expunged, data brokers ensure the past keeps coming back to haunt them
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Can Algorithms Violate Fair Housing Laws?
Landlords increasingly use screening services to weed out renters. Advocates say both landlords and the algorithms should be accountable when things go wrong
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What Do I Do If the Bank Says I’m Dead?
Investigate, complain, and maybe sue
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Data Brokers May Report COVID-19–Related Evictions for Years
Scant rules around tenant background screenings mean money woes during the pandemic’s economic slowdown will haunt some tenants, even if they pay up
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How We Investigated the Tenant ScreeningIndustry
Public records, interviews, and months of searching and reading court records helped us uncover how automated screenings come up short
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What Can You Do if Your Tenant Background Report Is Wrong?
An investigation by The Markup and The New York Times found that faulty reports are common in the tenant screeningprocess
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Access Denied: Faulty Automated Background Checks Freeze Out Renters
Computer algorithms that scan everything from terror watch lists to eviction records spit out flawed tenant screening reports. And almost nobody is watching