// Skip tracing
Skip tracing for landlords: locating a former tenant
Locate a former tenant who left owing rent or damages so you can serve notice or collect. That's a locate use, and it's separate from screening an applicant.
The short answer
Landlords use skip tracing to locate a former tenant who left owing rent or damages, so they can serve notice or collect. This is a locate use, finding someone you have a legitimate reason to reach, and it's separate from screening an applicant, which is an FCRA decision that requires consumer-report data.
Locating a tenant who skipped
When a tenant moves out owing money or leaves a balance after damages, you need a current address or phone to serve papers or pursue collection. Skip tracing turns the stale forwarding address into a way to reach them. Locating a former tenant to collect a debt you're owed is a recognized, legitimate use.
The line you cannot cross
Locating a former tenant is not the same as screening a new one. The moment you use locate data to decide whether to rent to an applicant, you're making an FCRA eligibility decision, and that requires a consumer report, a permissible purpose, and adverse-action procedure. Non-FCRA skip-trace data cannot be used to screen applicants.
Where Trackyr fits
For the locate side, Trackyr verifies and DNC-scrubs the contact info you gather on a former tenant before you reach out. It is non-FCRA data and is not a tenant-screening tool, so use a credentialed screening service for applicant decisions.
// Common questions
Answered.
Can a landlord skip trace a former tenant?+
Yes, to locate someone who left owing rent or damages so you can serve notice or collect. That's a locate use. It's different from screening an applicant, which requires FCRA consumer-report data.
Can I use skip tracing to screen a tenant?+
No. Screening an applicant is an FCRA eligibility decision that requires a consumer report and adverse-action procedure. Non-FCRA skip-trace data can't be used to decide whether to rent to someone.
// Keep reading
More on skip tracing.
Skip tracing laws in California: licensing, privacy, and DNC rules
Is skip tracing legal in California? Do you need a license? Here's California's PI-licensing status, privacy law, and telemarketing rules, plus the federal rules that always apply.
Read →Skip tracing laws in Texas: licensing, privacy, and DNC rules
Is skip tracing legal in Texas? Do you need a license? Here's Texas's PI-licensing status, privacy law, and telemarketing rules, plus the federal rules that always apply.
Read →Skip tracing laws in Florida: licensing, privacy, and DNC rules
Is skip tracing legal in Florida? Do you need a license? Here's Florida's PI-licensing status, privacy law, and telemarketing rules, plus the federal rules that always apply.
Read →Put this into practice.
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