DC Tenant Screener Discriminates With AI, Consumer Advocates Say

Advocates say a credit agency is violating consumer protection laws with its automated tenant screening service that contains errors and biases and, as a result, impacting “the lives of D.C.’s most vulnerable residents.”

The National Association of Consumer Advocates alleges in a Tuesday lawsuit filed in D.C. Superior Court that RentGrow Inc. is violating the Washington D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act. The association says RentGrow, a subsidiary of co-defendant Yardi Systems Inc., uses flawed artificial intelligence and automated decision making systems to screen tenants for landlords, resulting in lost housing opportunities.

John Davisson, an attorney with the Electronic Privacy Information ...