# Is This Illegal (Database of Renters Who Sue Landlords)?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-illegal-database-of-renters-who-sue-landlords/575526>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 21, 2011, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-illegal-database-of-renters-who-sue-landlords/575526 "2011-03-21T22:15:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-illegal-database-of-renters-who-sue-landlords/575526/1 "2011-03-21T22:15:50Z")

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I read about this in San Francisco. Landlords are screening prospective tenants, using a database that shows people who have initiated lawsuits against their landlords.  
From a landlord’s point of view, it makes good sense to avoid such tenants-lawsuits are costly to defend against, and many cities can force landlords to pay excessive damages.  
Is it illegal to screen out such people?

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**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-illegal-database-of-renters-who-sue-landlords/575526/2 "2011-03-21T22:18:19Z")

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I don’t see what would be illegal about it.

Someone compiled and published information based upon public records.

Plaintiff-tenants are not a protected class.

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**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-illegal-database-of-renters-who-sue-landlords/575526/3 "2011-03-21T22:20:28Z")

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They are called “tenant-screening bureaus”

Yes there are lots of them out there. I recall a blip about [First Advantage Safe Rent](http://www.fadvsaferent.com/) that was used a lot

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-illegal-database-of-renters-who-sue-landlords/575526/4 "2011-03-21T22:21:13Z")

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I don’t think being litigious is a [protected class](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_housing) under any of the fair housing laws I know of.

> [@](#):
>
> A federal law, passed in 1968 and amended in 1988, that protects prospects and tenants against housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status and disability. These groups of people are known as protected classes.

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-illegal-database-of-renters-who-sue-landlords/575526/5 "2011-03-21T22:25:15Z")

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Issue discussed here

[Tenant screening](http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/pf/20070817_tenant_screening_1.asp)