The short answer
An adverse-action notice informs an applicant or tenant that consumer-report information contributed to an unfavorable decision. It can apply to a denial or to conditions such as a higher deposit or a required co-signer.
On this page
Identify the trigger
The report need only be part of the reason for the action. Keep a record of the report and decision factors. Do not assume that calling the outcome a conditional approval removes the notice obligation.
Include the required information
The FTC explains that the notice identifies the reporting company and its contact information, states that it did not make the decision, and explains the right to dispute accuracy and request a free report within 60 days. Additional disclosures apply when a credit score is used.
Use a complete, appropriate notice
Follow the FTC requirements and any additional state or local rules. Retain a copy and a record of delivery. A short rejection message or a link to the screening provider is not a substitute for all required information. Have the form reviewed for your process when needed.
Your next-step checklist
- Identify whether a report contributed
- Include agency and consumer-rights details
- Check credit-score disclosures
- Keep the notice and delivery record
Sources and further reading
Draft a housing notice with verified information
Prepare this worksheet with the actual rental, action and reporting company. Review the completed draft, required credit-score disclosures and current state or local requirements before use.
- Identify the notice: [actual notice date], [applicant or tenant name], [rental address] and [sender contact].
- Record the action: [actual denial or less favorable terms]. Identify that consumer-report information contributed to this action; do not invent a decision reason or use a score as an automatic eligibility rule.
- Identify the report company: [actual company's name], [mailing address] and [telephone number from the report or current company instructions]. Do not substitute Rentari's contact details or a sample provider address.
- Explain its role: State that the reporting company did not make this decision and cannot explain the specific reasons for it.
- Explain report rights: State the right to dispute the accuracy or completeness of report information and to request a free copy from that reporting company within 60 days after receiving this notice.
- If a credit score was used: Add the actual numerical score, the range of possible scores under its model, score date, source and key factors that adversely affected it. List the key factors in the order of their importance, as the FTC describes. These score disclosures must be written or electronic.
- Check remaining requirements: Add any information, delivery requirements or rights required for the actual property and process. Resolve missing or inconsistent facts before using the notice.
The FTC landlord consumer-report guide describes these federal notice duties. A short rejection message or a link to a report does not supply the whole notice. This worksheet uses placeholders and is not a provider-approved template.
Check delivery, disputes and the actual Rentari workflow
Federal guidance permits a basic housing adverse-action notice orally, in writing or electronically; additional credit-score disclosures must be written or electronic. Check the actual property's timing and delivery rules. Do not treat a suggested five-day turnaround or an employment-screening waiting period as a universal housing requirement.
Use the screening-report review guide and the named applicant's application workflow. A completed report is not approval, acceptance is not a signed lease, and archiving without denying is separate from denial. This written guide does not establish that Rentari automatically creates or delivers a complete legal notice.
Keep the notice, actual report source, verified decision factors and delivery record private under applicable retention requirements. Direct a disputed report item to the reporting company's current correction route; editing an application or ordering again does not correct the source record. Read the report-error guide and the CFPB rental-denial guidance. A dispute does not by itself establish eligibility or ineligibility. The broader FCRA guide covers obtaining and handling reports separately.
Common questions
When does a rental decision trigger an adverse-action notice?
When consumer-report information contributes even partly to rejection or less favorable terms, such as a required co-signer, higher rent or a larger deposit. Review the actual action and current rules; a conditional approval is not automatically exempt.
What information belongs in a housing adverse-action notice?
Identify the actual reporting company by name, address and phone, explain that it did not make the decision and cannot explain the landlord's specific reasons, and state dispute rights and the right to request a free company report within 60 days after receiving the notice. Credit-score use adds written or electronic score, range, date, source and key-factor disclosures; check local additions.
Is there a universal five-day waiting period for rental notices?
The FTC housing guidance does not establish a universal five-day waiting period. A suggested turnaround is not a legal deadline for every property. Review current state or local timing requirements and avoid importing employment-screening procedures into a housing decision.
Can a housing adverse-action notice be sent electronically?
Federal guidance permits an oral, written or electronic basic notice; additional credit-score disclosures must be written or electronic. Check applicable delivery rules, include all required information and retain the actual notice and delivery record. A provider link alone is not a complete notice.
Written and maintained by the Rentari team. Examples explain a decision; they are not customer results. Found an error or an unclear step? Send a correction with this page's address and the detail to review.
Your next step
Request and review a screening report