CREDIT REPORTS Why should I be interested in my

							                                 CREDIT REPORTS

Why should I be interested in my credit report?

Federal law allows a landlord to access your credit report if you are a prospective tenant. Landlords
normally run credit checks on prospective tenants to identify applicants who have been evicted or who may
have difficulty making rent payments. If a landlord requests a copy of your credit report, the landlord must
inform you within three days of requesting the report. The landlord may request that you pay for the credit
report. This charge is usually included in the application fee.

If a landlord denies your rental application based on information from your credit report, under the law you
may ask the landlord for the following: the name, address, and telephone number of the credit bureau that
gave the landlord your report, and notification that you have sixty (60) days to request a free copy of your
credit file from the credit bureau. Note that the credit bureau does not make the decision to accept or reject
your rental application, so they cannot provide you with the reasons you were rejected. Only your landlord
can provide this information. To avoid credit problems when applying for a rental unit, it is best to get a
copy of your credit report beforehand so there will not be any surprises when the landlord checks your
credit.

When a tenant owes a landlord money, the landlord has several options: (1) the landlord can sue the tenant
for the money owed, (2) the landlord can refer the debt to a collection agency that will contact the tenant
and attempt to obtain payment, or (3) the landlord can report the debt to a credit reporting agency.

Your credit report is also important in other contexts. It can affect how and whether you are able to borrow
money or get a credit card. If you have good credit, you can get a lower interest rate on a loan, which
means you will pay less interest and have lower payments each month.

What information is included in my credit report?

Your credit report will contain information about your credit history, such as the number of credit accounts
you have, whether you pay your bills on time, any loans that you may have (including student loans), and
how much you owe on your credit cards. It will also contain information about any outstanding debts and
whether you have ever filed for bankruptcy.

       A credit report may include the following information:
       •  Identifying information: your name, current address, previous addresses, telephone number,
          social security number, employer, etc.
       • Credit history: your history of paying bills with retail stores, landlords, banks, credit cards, etc.
       • Public records: court judgments against you, bankruptcies, etc.
       • Inquiries: people or companies to whom you owe money, people who have received your credit
          report, and companies that receive your information to offer you credit

       A credit report will not contain the following information:
       • Checking or savings account information;
       • Medical history;
       • Purchases paid in full with cash or check;
       • Your race, gender, religion, or national origin.




                                           Student                  Housing
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How long does information stay on my credit report?

If you have failed to pay a debt it can remain on your credit report for up to seven years and may even remain on
your report for up to seven years after you have paid the debt in full. Positive information about your credit history,
such as the fact that you pay your credit card bill on time every month, usually remains on your record for ten years.

Information can stay on your credit report for a long period of time, so it is important to dispute any debt you
believe to be invalid immediately. If the information on the credit report is incorrect or you want to dispute any
information in the report, you should immediately contact the credit bureau named on the credit report. The credit
bureau will conduct an investigation, normally within thirty days. If you are still disputing the credit report after the
investigation, there are further steps you can take.

What is a credit score?

Credit reports include a credit score, which is a number ranging from 300-850. The better your credit is, the higher
the score will be. Your credit score is based on a number of factors, including: how many credit cards and bank
accounts you have open, how many loans you have, whether you pay your bills on time, how much total debt you
have, and what kind of debt you have (consumer debt, student loans, vehicle loans, etc.). Creditors use your credit
score to determine if you are creditworthy.

How do I get a copy of my credit report?

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, all three nationwide credit reporting agencies (Experian, Equifax, and
TransUnion) are required to provide you with a free credit report, at your request, once every twelve months. You
can order your credit report from one or all of the companies at a time. You can order this free credit report by
contacting a central service at: www.annualcreditreport.com, or by calling 1-877-322-8228. You will need to
provide your name, address, social security number, date of birth, and some additional identifying information.

    •   You should not contact the individual credit reporting agencies for your free report.
    •   Caution: this website is the only one authorized to provide the free credit report you are entitled to by law.
        You should approach any other offer of a free credit report with caution. Some imposter website say they
        offer you a free credit report, but in order to get it you must sign up for a paid credit-monitoring service.
        Other websites may be trying to collect personal information as part of an identity theft scheme.

In addition to your free annual credit report, you are entitled to an additional free credit report if any of the
following occurs:

    •   You are denied credit, a loan, insurance, or a job because of your credit. In this situation, you must ask for
        the report within sixty days of the denial.
    •   Your report is inaccurate because of fraud or identity theft.
    •   You are unemployed and planning to look for a job in the next sixty days.

You can also order an additional credit report from any of the reporting agencies at any time, for a fee.

How can I dispute incorrect information in my credit report?

Write to the credit reporting agency and tell them what you think is inaccurate in your report. They are required to
investigate the inaccuracy and to contact whoever provided them with the information to find out if the information
is inaccurate. If it is, they are required to notify all three credit reporting agencies. If there is a correction made to
your report, anyone who has requested your report in the last six months will be sent a corrected version.




                               05/08• The Ohio State University Student Housing Legal Clinic
If the reporting agency decides that the information you think is inaccurate is actually true and does not remove it
from your report, you can ask that a statement of dispute be included in your file. This will be included with your
credit report whenever someone requests your report.

When writing to the credit reporting agency, include the following information: your name, address, social security
number, date of birth, which items in your credit report you are disputing, a statement of the facts as you believe
them to be, a request to delete or correct the information that you believe is incorrect, and copies of any documents
you may have to support your position (do not mail the original documents). Send your letter by certified mail and
request a return receipt.

How do I contact the credit reporting agencies?

Experian
www.experian.com
1-888-397-3742
Mailing Address:          Experian
                          P.O. Box 9532
                          Allen, TX 75013
To dispute credit report: https://www.experian.com/consumer/cac/InvalidateSession.do?code=DISPUTE

Equifax
www.equifax.com
1-800-685-1111
Mailing Address:          Equifax Credit Information Services, Inc.
                          P.O. Box 740241
                          Atlanta, GA 30374
To dispute credit report: http://www.equifax.com/online-credit-dispute/

TransUnion
www.transunion.com
1-800-916-8800
Mailing Address:          TransUnion Consumer Solutions
                          P.O. Box 2000
                          Chester, PA 19022-2200
To dispute credit report: http://annualcreditreport.transunion.com/entry/disputeonline

Attached are three forms you may need in dealing with credit reports:

    •   Credit Report Request: For requesting a report from the credit bureau. Note that there is a charge for this
        service. Contact the credit bureau to determine the fee. If you have already been denied credit and are
        therefore entitled to a free report, use the second form.

    •   Denial of Credit – Credit Report Form: For requesting a free copy of your credit report after you have been
        denied credit.

    •   Request to Landlord for Reason for Denial of Credit: For finding out why you were denied credit by a
        landlord, and if the landlord’s decision was based on your credit report.




THIS INFORMATION PACKET ONLY REFERS TO OHIO LAW AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE
LEGAL ADVICE. IF YOU NEED LEGAL ADVICE, YOU MUST CONTACT AN ATTORNEY. THE
LAW MAY HAVE CHANGED SINCE THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. 05/08


                             05/08• The Ohio State University Student Housing Legal Clinic
                            CREDIT REPORT REQUEST



Date: ___________________


Credit Bureau’s Name:

Credit Bureau’s Address:

City/State/Zip Code:

               Re: Credit Report Request
I would like to obtain a copy of my credit report file. I am providing the following information to obtain
the report.

Name:

Current Address:

Previous addresses within the past five (5) years:

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

Social Security Number: _________________________           Date of Birth: ________________

Current Employer: ___________________________               Home Phone Number: __________________

Enclosed is a check/money order in the amount of ________________ (amount) to cover the cost of
providing the credit report.

Sincerely,



_____________________________________
Signature


cc: copy retained for my records
          DENIAL OF CREDIT—CREDIT REPORT REQUEST


Date: ___________________

Credit Bureau’s Name:

Credit Bureau’s Address:

City/State/Zip Code:

       Re: Credit Report Request
I was denied credit on _______ (date) by _____________________ (company name). I would like to re-
quest a free copy of my credit report file because I was denied credit within the last sixty (60) days. I am
providing the following information in order to obtain the report.


Name: _________________________________________

Current Address: _____________________________________________________________

Previous addresses within the past five (5) years:

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

Social Security Number: _________________________            Date of Birth:

Current Employer: ___________________________                Home Phone Number: __________________

Enclosed is a check/money order in the amount of ________________ (amount) to cover the cost of provid-
ing the credit report.

Sincerely,



_____________________________________
Signature



cc: copy retained for my records
              REQUEST TO LANDLORD FOR REASON FOR
                       DENIAL OF CREDIT



Date:                 ___________________________________

Landlord’s Name:      ___________________________________

Landlord’s Address: ___________________________________

City/State/Zip Code: ___________________________________


Dear _______________________ (company representative):

My application for credit with you was made on ___________________ (date) for
___________________________ (property address). I was notified on __________ (date) that my
application had been denied.

Please advise me if the adverse action was based in whole or in part on information contained in a
consumer credit report or on the information obtained from a source other than a credit bureau. If the
adverse action was based on any information from a source other than a credit bureau, please indicate the
nature of the adverse information, such as my credit worthiness, credit standing, credit capacity, character,
general reputation, or personal characteristics.

Your immediate attention and review of this matter would be greatly appreciated.


Sincerely,



______________________________________________________
Signature


______________________________________________________
Current Address


______________________________________________________
Phone Number




cc: copy retained for my records