Consumer Reporting Agency - Safeline US, LLC A consumer reporting agency, as per the definition outlined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), “means any person which, for monetary fees, dues, or on a cooperative nonprofit basis, regularly engages in whole or in part in the practice of assembling or evaluating consumer credit information or other information on consumers for the purpose of furnishing consumer reports to third parties…” (Federal Trade Commission - FTC, 2012). Thus, in essence, Safeline is indeed a consumer reporting agency. This is more so the case given that true to the definition outlined above, the company is organized on a cooperative nonprofit basis and collects tenant information with a purpose of availing reports to members (third parties) on troublesome tenants.

In response to Jane Doe’s Attorney, it is important to note from the onset that Safeline is not in contravention of the Fair Credit Reporting Act with regard to the circumstances used to maintain Jane Doe’s information on its centralized list. This is more so the case given that as per the Act, a consumer reporting agency such as Safeline is permitted to avail such a report to persons or entities it has reason to believe have “legitimate...

Landlords and tenants in this case could be said to be in a business relationship, in which case troublesome tenants could cost landlords money. Towards this end, landlords have a legitimate business need for information on tenants so as to make rational business decisions (i.e. on whether or not to admit tenants to their premises). It is important to note that the Fair Credit Reporting Act demands that information maintained by consumer reporting agencies, such as Safeline, be not only fair, but also accurate. Towards this end, Jane Doe is within her rights in challenging the accuracy of the information maintained on Safeline’s centralized list. In matters involving disputed accuracy, such as is the case with Jane Doe, there is a procedure that the Fair Credit Reporting Act prescribes.
According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, “if the completeness or accuracy of any item of information contained in a consumer’s file at a consumer reporting agency is disputed by the consumer and the consumer notifies the agency directly, or indirectly through a reseller, of such dispute, the agency…