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Advocates push portable tenant screening to cut application costs; landlords urge verification safeguards
Summary
Witnesses at the Committee on Housing hearing supported allowing applicants to reuse tenant screening reports to lower search costs, especially for voucher holders, while housing providers warned about fraud risk and verification burdens. Advocates asked for longer validity periods and public options for reports.
Multiple tenant advocates, legal aid attorneys and service providers urged the Council to adopt the Portable Tenant Screening Report Amendment Act to reduce repeated application fees that disproportionately burden low‑income renters and voucher holders.
Britt Ruffin of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless said permitting reusable reports would reduce search costs and recommended clear guidance so applicants can obtain lawful, low‑cost reports. "The legislation should clearly guide and direct applicants on how to obtain the screening report info, in order to be successful," she testified.
Front‑line providers said 30 days is too short for many voucher households and asked for a 90–180 day window; Legal Aid and other advocates specifically recommended 120–180 days for voucher searches. Multiple landlords and industry groups (GCAR, AOBA, Enterprise Community Development) said they support affordability but warned that inconsistent report formats and fraud risk mean any portable system must include standards for verification and a process for landlords to confirm reports without bearing undue cost.
The committee asked parties to convene a working group on technical standards and verification practices; no action was taken at the hearing.
