End Tenant Credit Screening Act

The End Tenant Credit Screening Act would amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to bar housing providers from using consumer reports (including investigative consumer reports) to screen tenants for credit-related reasons. The prohibition applies to both prospective and current tenants, and it would prevent decisions based on a report that reflects creditworthiness, credit standing, or credit capacity. The ban is broad even if the tenant consents to a credit check, with one exception: a housing provider may obtain a consumer report if it is specifically for the “reconsideration of denial” of a rental application after bona fide, individualized review. The bill defines key terms like “tenant screening purposes” and “housing provider” to cover typical rental decision-makers. In short, the bill would largely remove credit-based screening from the tenant qualification process, pushing landlords to rely on non-credit factors, while still allowing limited use of credit information only during the formal reconsideration of a denied application.