On Tuesday, May 30, NAR responded to a Request for Information (RFI) from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) focused on tenant screening practices – specifically the use of background checks and fees associated with applying. RFIs, unlike comment letters, are not in response to a proposed regulation, but rather are information-gathering tools to assist federal agencies in understanding certain industries or practices. This RFI is part of a series coming out from various federal agencies targeted at rental-housing topics, the result of the White House’s Blueprint for a Tenant’s Bill of Rights released earlier this year. In the lead-up to the Blueprint’s release, NAR, as part of a select group of real estate and housing provider groups, met several times with White House officials to provide expertise and perspectives on rental housing issues, and successfully stopped several potential rule proposals that would have had a detrimental impact on housing providers and the rental housing market generally.
NAR Feedback to CFPB and FTC on Tenant Screening Request for Information
Issue Date: May 30, 2023
On Tuesday, May 30, NAR responded to a Request for Information (RFI) from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) focused on tenant screening practices – specifically the use of background checks and fees associated with applying. RFIs, unlike comment letters, are not in response to a proposed regulation, but rather are information-gathering tools to assist federal agencies in understanding certain industries or practices. This RFI is part of a series coming out from various federal agencies targeted at rental-housing topics, the result of the White House’s Blueprint for a Tenant’s Bill of Rights released earlier this year. In the lead-up to the Blueprint’s release, NAR, as part of a select group of real estate and housing provider groups, met several times with White House officials to provide expertise and perspectives on rental housing issues, and successfully stopped several potential rule proposals that would have had a detrimental impact on housing providers and the rental housing market generally.
Read the Letter