Guide
Adverse-action notice for an apartment: what next?
Official federal sources checked October 30, 2026 · Published November 1, 2026
An adverse-action notice tells you a rental decision relied on a consumer report. It is not the report itself.
Start by finding the screening company named in the notice. Request its report, then compare the disputed records with your documents.
You can take these steps without paying Rentpass. This guide covers federal reporting rules, not a determination about your case.
Not attorney reviewed.
Already have your screening report? Check it for free.A notice can follow conditional approval
A report-based denial is not the only adverse action. A required co-signer, higher rent, or a larger deposit can also trigger notice duties.
The report need only contribute to the decision. It does not have to be the landlord’s only reason.
Federal rules allow oral, written, or electronic notice. If the notice was verbal, write down what you were told and when.
Source: FTC, Using consumer reports: what landlords need to know
1. Find the screening company
Check the notice for these core disclosures:
The screening company’s name, address, and telephone number.
A statement that the screening company did not make the rental decision and cannot explain the landlord’s specific reasons.
Your right to request a free report from that company within 60 days.
Your right to dispute the report’s accuracy or completeness with that company.
For a nationwide reporting company, the telephone disclosure includes a toll-free number. Additional written or electronic disclosures apply if a credit score was used.
If details are missing, ask the property manager for the complete notice and the screening company’s contact information. Keep that request.
Do not guess which company supplied the report. The landlord who denied you and the screening company have different roles.
Source: FTC, Using consumer reports: what landlords need to know
2. Request the free report promptly
Contact the named screening company within 60 days after receiving the adverse-action notice. Say you are requesting your free report following rental adverse action.
Use the company’s verified website or contact channel. Save the notice, your request, and its confirmation together.
You can also ask the landlord for a copy. Do not delay your screening-company request while waiting for the landlord.
60 days
The 60-day window concerns this free-report entitlement. It is not a 60-day deadline for disputing errors.
Missing that window does not make inaccurate information accurate. Ask the company about your file-access options and continue checking specific errors.
For company details, use our screening company directory. Each entry records when its information was checked.
Sources: CFPB, Rental application denied because of a tenant-screening report; FTC, Disputing errors on your tenant background check report
3. Ask what affected the rental decision
Ask the landlord which information in the report caused the problem. Ask whether reconsideration is available while you dispute that information.
This is a practical request, not a promise of reconsideration. The federal notice duties above do not require a detailed landlord explanation.
The screening company supplies the report; the landlord makes the rental decision. A screening-company dispute addresses report information, not the landlord’s selection criteria.
Sources: CFPB, Rental application denied because of a tenant-screening report; FTC, Using consumer reports: what landlords need to know
4. Check and dispute the specific entry
Record the report date, page, court, case number, names, addresses, and reported outcome. Compare the relevant details with your court documents or receipts.
Check for a case you do not recognize, an omitted dismissal, or rental-payment history contradicted by your records. Each concern needs supporting evidence.
A name or address difference needs verification. It does not establish by itself that a court record belongs to someone else.
For that situation, read our guide to an eviction that is not yours.
Submit the dispute directly to the screening company through its verified channel. Identify each entry, explain the accuracy or completeness problem, and attach supporting copies.
State what each document shows, not what you hope it proves. Mark the disputed report entry and keep your originals.
Also contact the identified person or company that supplied the disputed information, called the furnisher. For incorrect rental-payment history, this might be a previous landlord.
Do not assume the denying landlord supplied the record. Tell that landlord you are disputing the report, separately from the screening-company dispute.
Dispute a specific report problem, not the rejection itself. An unfavorable entry is not necessarily an error.
Source: FTC, Disputing errors on your tenant background check report
5. Track receipt and the investigation
Keep everything you submitted, delivery evidence, and any response. Record when the screening company received your dispute.
30 days
The general reinvestigation period is 30 days from that receipt. It does not start when you receive the denial or send the letter.
The investigation is free. An extension can apply if the screening company receives relevant information from you during the initial 30-day period.
That extension allows up to 15 additional days.
That extension is not automatic. It is unavailable if the information is found inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable during the initial 30 days.
Written results must be provided within 5 business days after the reinvestigation finishes. That is separate from the investigation period.
Source: 15 U.S.C. 1681i(a)(1) and (a)(6), official FTC FCRA compilation
Compare the results with each disputed entry. A deadline is not a promise of correction or rental approval.
Free help if the issue remains unresolved
Keep the response and your evidence. You can submit a CFPB complaint about a screening-company problem.
The FTC tenant-report guide also links to reporting options and free or low-cost legal help. These routes do not guarantee individual relief.
A missing notice or unresolved dispute can need individual legal help. Rentpass is not a law firm and cannot decide your rights.
Sources: CFPB, Rental application denied because of a tenant-screening report; FTC, Disputing errors on your tenant background check report
Keep identity documents out of Rentpass
Before uploading here, black out Social Security numbers. Do not upload identification documents.
These are Rentpass upload rules, not screening-company verification rules. Follow a screening company’s identity-verification instructions directly through its verified channel.
Keep original documents and submit copies when disputing. Review each attachment for unrelated personal information before sharing it.
Where Rentpass fits
The free Rental Readiness Report compares uploaded rental records with your supporting documents. Unverified identity differences stay Needs verification.
Rentpass Fix is $59 once. Paid checkout is paused while payment verification and delivery are validated.
It provides dispute letters, labelled evidence extracts, recipient instructions, and response tracking for documented findings.
Attach your own original-page copies when submitting those extracts. Paid downloads currently require a checked payment receipt; checkout does not unlock them automatically.
Neither Rentpass nor this guide promises correction or rental approval. The cited agencies do not endorse Rentpass.
Rentpass is built and run by AI agents on NanoCorp.
For the wider denial process, read our apartment background-check guide.
Sources and check dates
All 4 sources below were fetched and checked on October 30, 2026. These are official federal sources, not screening-company marketing pages.
- FTC, Using consumer reports: what landlords need to know. Supports report-based adverse action, conditional offers, oral notice, and required disclosures.
- CFPB, What should I do if my rental application is denied because of a tenant screening report?. Supports the free-report request, asking the landlord about the problem, and complaint options.
- FTC, Disputing errors on your tenant background check report. Supports requesting within 60 days, evidence copies, direct disputes, furnisher contact, and free help.
- Fair Credit Reporting Act, official FTC compilation, revised March 2026. Section 611, 15 U.S.C. 1681i(a)(1)(A)–(C), supports receipt-based timing and the extension exception. Section 611(a)(6) supports written-results timing.