Communications of the ACM
How Automated Background Checks Freeze Out Renters
The growing data economy and the rise of American rentership since the 2008 financial crisis have fueled a rapid expansion of the tenant screening industry, now valued at $1 billion.
Credit: Thomas Patterson
Burglary and domestic assault in Minnesota. Selling meth and jumping bail in Kentucky. Driving without insurance in Arkansas. Disorderly conduct. Theft. Lying to a police officer. Unspecified "crimes." Too many narcotics charges to count.
That's what the landlord for an apartment in St. Helens, Ore., saw when he ran a background check for Samantha Johnson, a prospective tenant, in 2018.
But none of the charges were hers.
The growing data economy and the rise of American rentership since the 2008 financial crisis have fueled a rapid expansion of the tenant screening industry, now valued at $1 billion. The companies produce cheap and fast — but not necessarily accurate — reports for an estimated nine out of 10 landlords across the country.
From The New York Times
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