Crime-Ridden Apartments, Credit Reports and Cops

By Patrick Williams Wed., Jan. 14 2009 at 9:10 AM

Categories: Buzz

If you haven't carefully checked the fine print in the city's proposed high-crime apartment ordinance, which the Dallas City Council will take up today, you might have missed this little gem: Apartment owners whose properties become too crime-ridden according to the city's calculations will be required to collect credit reports on future tenants and make those reports available on demand to the cops. Apparently, City Hall has found there's a correlation between credit-worthiness and crime. Unfortunately, it looks like the city has it backward. Bernie Madoff, for example, probably had a way better credit score than anyone forced to rent in one of Dallas' more dangerous apartment houses.

Kathy Carlton, director of government affairs for the Apartment Association of Greater Dallas, knew exactly what we were talking about when we called to ask about the curious credit-report thingy. "We had a lot of questions about that, and police tell us they are not going to be looking at [the credit reports] but want them to be done," she says. Yeah, we didn't buy that either, and Carlton didn't sound too persuaded herself, but as she points out, it's "a fine line we walk" these days trying to balance individual privacy with security. There's much more in this week's paper version of Unfair Park.

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All I can say is that I had friends who, for a fee of $300 per line, could change any credit report. Evidently, certain people in the credit reporting industry have always been on the take...No one has ever investigated corruption in the credit reporting industry and how people, who have been bankrupted numerous times, still have sterling reports. Meanwhile, your story on housing and credit reports is excellent. Please follow-up.
Somebody school us on whether they can do this under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. I don't think you can just pass credit reports around like candy.
"Apparently companies think there's a correlation between bankruptcy and the ability to pay your car insurance." Actually, the insurance companies believe there is a correlation between bankruptcy/poor credit and bad driving that results in accidents/claims. The higher rates are to offset the increased risk of an insurance payout, not of a failure to pay the premium.
To Dear Meat, Nobody said the world would turn black after January 20th...you did. I simply though all society's ills will be cured. Well, after we give the junkie some free crack, I guess he'll just roll down to Best Buy & get that free flat screen too right...or will he probably just steal it still? Naaaahhh, I'm sure the free crack will be enough.
Not looking too good today, hope you don't get arrested on the way home because it's so low.
Insurance companies can jack up your car insurance based on your credit score. Apparently companies think there's a correlation between bankruptcy and the ability to pay your car insurance. Some apartment managers are under extreme pressure to boost occupancy rates. See all the crappy apartments in Vickery Meadow and Skillman/Audelia for an idea of where this new ordinance is targeting. These are high crime apartments where owners cry foul every time a crime occurs of their properties because they claim that the police aren't doing their jobs. The reality is, gates are always broken because the thugs who live in their apartments are always breaking them so they can run drugs all day. Sit at the corner of Melody and Eastridge or Shadybrook and Park Lane any time day or night to witness it yourself. And yet, apartment owners- especially greedy and absentee ones- want to take no responsibility for the crimes that they allow to be perpetuated on their own properties and then they hide behind the apartment association, and organization that wants to pretend that apartments are the salvation to every ill in the world and refuse to acknowledge that there are laws being violated by various management companies. The police have their hands full already, especially when they have to go into some of these crime-infested dens to serve warrants only to be shot and killed. The apartments that this ordinance targets are those that knowingly harbor criminals by turning a blind eye, blaming overworked and underpaid managers and the police department and not running criminal background checks.
The man who shot Officer Smith had no criminal record and no bad credit. The fool who thinks after Jan.20,2009 the World will turn black should move into the Black Hole! The government is not doing all it can to stop crime. Legalizing marijuana would be one step, opening clinics for other drug addicts to sign up and get their drugs would be another. If the profit is taken out of the drug market and tax added all the criminal activity would end.Wealthy people are making the big money from drug activity that's the only reason it has not stopped.A whole new industry was built on the back of drug use and sales.State Jail prisons, have made people rich at the tax payers expense.
This thread blows. Matt get home and grill me.
Will tell you his credit score and make derogatory statements about apartments and gas stations on another MB.
I have a friend whose does background checks for apartments. It really depends on the complex (and/or management company). Some will rent based just on income verification. Some will rent based based on several factors including income, housing history, criminal background check and credit score. The higher the rent, the more through the background check (and, generally speaking, the lower the crime rate).
Wouldn't running criminal background checks be a better solution? Or do most complexes already do that? And if they do, wouldn't prohibition of leasing to criminals be a better remedy than collecting credit reports?
CinematicallyCorrect.com: Forgive us this trespass against Obama most high. If you need us, we'll be standing in the line to get our swords turning into plows -- it is right past where they are piling up all those old race cards and next to Chuck E Cheese where they will drop off the Guantanamo prisoners.
Why is everyone worried about this? After January 20th, won't everyone be given free houses in neigborhoods that look like Willy Wonka's candy forest?
I think I'll be calling the ACLU about this....
Let's see -- no job, no bank account, no proof of income, lots of cash must make someone a <i>great</i> tenant. Heck, I wonder why did they didn't get a Fannie Mae mortgage or two?
This is complete bullshit. The cops have no need to look at some one's credit. None at all.