"I applied to rent an apartment. The landlord told me I got turned down because I’d missed some payments on my phone bill. He found out about that by ordering my credit report. I had no idea. He explained that the rental application included a section where I agreed the landlord could access my credit report. Next time I’ll make sure to read through everything!”
– Liz, Port Coquitlam
Under the law in BC, a credit reporting agency can’t share your credit report without your permission. (There are three exceptions to this rule. See below.)
Why might someone want to see your credit report? A few reasons. Someone might want to see it before:
giving you credit
collecting a debt from you
renting an apartment or house to you
deciding whether to hire you
granting you insurance coverage
You don’t have to consent to a credit check. Of course, if you refuse, the bank, business, or other party that wants to look at your credit report can also refuse to do business with you.
If you don’t want the other party to access your credit report, discuss this with them. They may agree to do business with you without seeing your credit report.