Understanding the FCRA

What is the FCRA?

The Fair Credit Reporting Act governs how and when information about a person may be used to make certain decisions about them.

When an employment, credit or tenant screening decision is being made, the organisation receiving that information must give the person two things:

1. Notice that they will be accessing public or private record information.
2. Disclosure of where the information came from, if an adverse decision follows.

Organisations that supply this kind of information to employers, landlords or mortgage brokers are called Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs), and they are regulated accordingly.

Where we fit

Under the FCRA we are not a Consumer Reporting Agency, and the dossiers we produce are not consumer reports.

That status brings real limits on how the service may be used. The short version:

We encourage every user to read the FCRA itself. It is short, readable, and written for consumers.

Prohibited uses

You are strictly prohibited from using this service for any of the following.

• 01
  Employment screeningEvaluating anyone for a job, reassignment, promotion or retention.
• 02
  Hiring household workersIncluding nannies, carers, cleaners and other domestic staff.
• 03
  Tenant screeningIncluding leasing or renting residential or commercial space.
• 04
  Educational qualificationAssessing anyone for a course, place or scholarship.
• 05
  Credit or insuranceJudging credit risk, or eligibility for credit or an insurance policy.
• 06
  Business transactionsReviewing a personal customer account against the terms of that account.

Consequences of a violation

Using the service for a prohibited purpose breaches both our terms and the law, and can carry civil and criminal penalties.

1. SuspendThe account is paused the moment misuse is suspected.
2. TerminateConfirmed misuse ends the account permanently, with no refund.
3. ReferWhere the law requires it, we report the matter to enforcement.