In
housing,
The Registry is a
tenant blacklist used by
landlords as a screening mechanism for prospective rentors. The term is most commonly used as a form of
synecdoche to refer to a handful of the most common registry systems in the United States, "The New American Registry", "The First American Registry", "The Registry Saferent", and "The U.D. Registry".
Mechanism
Each registry automatically receives a notification from various metropolitan
housing courts whenever any tenant is sued by a landlord. Even if the tenant successfully defends themselves, they are kept in the registries forever. In addition, there are procedures by which landlords can report "problem tenants", although the procedure is not made clear. Almost all landlords subscribe to these major registry services and screen potential applicants; many landlords will reject tenants simply on the basis of their presence in the registry.
Criticism
- Several class action lawsuits have been brough against individual registries in the names of tenants who have won their cases in housing court but remain blacklisted. Most of these cases are settled out of court.
- In addition to the registries, many complain of the various housing courts' complicit involvement, by providing the names of the defendants through an automated service. This is an often unspoken source of revenue for these departments, as they generally charge $0.05 per listing.
External links
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