How to See What’s On Someone Else’s Credit Report

Every now and again I’m asked if it’s possible to check someone else’s credit report and credit score. The answer, of course, is “Yes”. However, before I offer any advice as to how this is accomplished, I first make sure to ascertain the individual’s particular motivation for looking it up.

That’s because there are only a few reasons why this bit of research should be performed. Therefore, I’m going to start this article off with the reasons in which one could ethically justify accessing and reviewing another person’s credit history report and score.

Justifiable Reason’s to Check Another Person’s Credit Report and Score

In a nutshell, there are only a few circumstances in which it’s considered “okay” to perform a creditworthiness search on someone else. These situations are generally for the purposes of reducing financial risk on the part of the inquirer, saving money and even to assist someone when it comes to mitigating or offsetting trouble. These reasons can include:

• Evaluating a possible future roommate
• Evaluating a potential employee
• Concerns regarding a senior’s (parent’s) finances
• Checking to see if your children’s credit has been hijacked
• Making sure that a deceased spouse’s identity hasn’t been stolen

As you can see, the underlying theme for these reasons to look up someone’s credit has to do with protecting yourself or another individual. These, and other, permissible reasons are outlined in the 15 U.S. Code § 1681b – Permissible purposes of consumer reports.

How to Obtain the Credit Report of Another Person

Before beginning your credit report research you need to take into consideration that you can’t obtain a copy of another person’s credit report without their permission, with the exception of certain circumstances. This is for a number of legal reasons related to privacy, and the federally mandated Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) will outline the specifics regarding the aforementioned reasons.

– Companies Reviewing Applicants

So, for example, if you are an employer and wish to run a background credit check on a potential employee, you need to follow the guidelines for employers set down by the FCRA before you order it.

– Landlords Evaluating Potential Renters

Moreover, specified release forms must be used to obtain someone’s credit report information, such as when a potential tenant is being considered for an apartment and the landloard needs to find out how well they pay their rent or other bills.

– Checking a Minor’s Credit Report and Score

The exceptions to the permission obtained rule occur when requesting the credit report for your child, if he or she is a minor, or if there are other special situations such legal guardianship, or you have power-of-attorney over the individual in question.

Final Thoughts on Checking Someone’s Credit Report

One of the most important things when deciding to run a credit report check is to refrain from drawing any immediate conclusions from the report that is received. First of all, credit reports are not infallible, and mistakes are common. This is especially true when it comes to a report showing that an account is still open when, in actuality, it was closed by the account holder.

Additionally, other circumstances may reveal negative credit issues that have occurred when an individual is in the process of securing a divorce. Therefore, it’s suggested that you use a questionable credit report to serve as a discussion initiator, rather than as a conversation ender.