Patrick Austin is a licensed attorney with a background in data privacy and information security law. Patrick received his law degree at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief for the National Security Law Journal.
Co-Founder of SoloSuit George Simons, JD/MBA
George Simons is the co-founder and CEO of SoloSuit. He has helped Americans protect over $1 billion from predatory debt lawsuits. George graduated from BYU Law school in 2020 with a JD-MBA. In his spare time, George likes to cook, because he likes to eat.
Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.
Summary:
RentGrow is a tenant screening tool used by landlords. If errors occur, you can dispute them under the
FCRA. A RentGrow dispute can take up to and must be resolved within 30 days.
You have been looking for an apartment, and you found the one you think might work. During the process, you learn
that there is an opening in an apartment complex near work, so you jump on the opportunity. A couple of months
later, you check your credit report and see an inquiry from RentGrow. You immediately suspect a problem since you
have never had any dealings with a company by that name.
The most likely scenario is that RentGrow is used by one of the places where you started the application process for
an apartment. RentGrow is a residential real estate screening tool used by apartment complexes and other rental
properties around the United States.
The information RentGrow provided to the property manager depends on what they requested. Common tenant screening
reports might contain:
Criminal history
A credit report
Payment history for other rental properties
Employment verification
Eviction history
Civil court records
Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act
(FCRA), companies that offer tenant screenings have an obligation to ensure the information they provide is accurate
and up-to-date. Unfortunately, errors are still common. The most common error happens when information that belongs
to another person shows up on your report.
Errors on your report can result in losing out on the rental you want, embarrassment, and potentially jeopardize
your chances of finding a place to live. Fortunately, you have avenues of recourse if RentGrow has provided
inaccurate information about you.
Disputing inaccuracies with RentGrow typically takes up to 30 days, as required by the Fair Credit Reporting Act
(FCRA). After submitting your dispute online or via mail, RentGrow or the credit bureaus will investigate the claim.
If they cannot verify the information within this timeframe, the erroneous entry must be removed from your report.
Keep in mind, delays may occur depending on RentGrow’s responsiveness, so persistence may be required. If
unresolved, consider escalating the matter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
Read RentGrow reviews online
Looking for information about what other people have said regarding their debt collection experience with RentGrow?
If so, check out these real online reviews:
While online reviews for RentGrow are up and down (i.e., some good, some not so good), this should not deter you
from engaging with the company to try and resolve any issues that are negatively impacting your credit score and
credit report.
RentGrow is a hard inquiry on your credit report
What is the difference between a hard and a soft inquiry? Soft inquiries are not added to your credit report and
they do not damage your credit score. Soft inquiries are often prompted by:
Pre-qualification for loans or credit cards
Online quotes
Credit score inquiries
Job applications
Rental applications
A hard inquiry can drop your credit score. One inquiry is unlikely to have much impact, but if there are several in
a short span of time—it can signal creditors that you may be facing financial hardships. Hard inquiries are usually
the result of a loan application, mortgage, new vehicle loan, or credit cards. However, they can also be triggered
when a landlord has a more rigorous vetting process. That is why most RentGrow inquiries show up on your report as a
hard inquiry.
If the inquiry was legitimate, your best course of action is to let it fall off your report in two years. However,
if the inquiry was not legitimate, you want to address it with the credit reporting bureaus as soon as possible. If
you did not fill out a rental application or agree to co-sign for a rental, then the inquiry is likely a mistake.
If the inquiry appears on one report, you need to check your reports from all three credit reporting agencies:
Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. You can then file a dispute online, call the bureaus, or send a letter to start
the process. Once you have disputed the inquiry, the Fair Credit Reporting Act
requires the credit bureaus to investigate within thirty days. If they cannot validate the inquiry, it will be
removed from your report.
Learn more about how to improve your credit and protect your score in the following video.
Take these steps if RentGrow provided inaccurate information about you
If RentGrow provided inaccurate information about you, you have options.
Their website provides a dispute portal, so that may be the best
place to start. You may also attempt to contact the RentGrow Consumer Relations team at (800)898-1351. Be forewarned
that people report long wait times for a response to their dispute. Many never receive a resolution when attempting
to handle the dispute directly with RentGrow.
Mistakes in tenant background reports are not uncommon. Here is where knowing your rights as a consumer is critical.
Screening companies have to reinvestigate within 30 days if you find an error and initiate a dispute. If they fail
to do so, you should file a complaint with the Consumer
Financial Protection Bureau. Unfortunately, landlords are often unwilling to wait on a dispute resolution
before giving the unit to someone else. However, you will encounter the same issue when you find somewhere else to
rent, so it is worth taking care of even minor mistakes found in RentGrow's report.
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