Research shows landlords overwhelmingly use tenant screening reports to make leasing decisions that affect housing access. Yet, the proprietary nature of these datasets leads to a lack of transparency in the accuracy and quality of the data provided. This brief opens the “black box” of tenant screening reports by exploring two components of tenant screening databases—eviction filings and criminal records—to highlight the challenges of accurately matching records without unique identifiers. We analyze the limits of data matching and provide avenues for improved practices to benefit renters and landlords. We find that the overall risk profiles within a tenant screening dataset are highly sensitive to subjective decisions about which cases belong to which individual, especially for those that contain eviction filings.
Opening the “Black Box” of Tenant Screening
Urban Institute
Year: 2025