R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 6-13.1 § 6-13.1-29
Furnishing of credit reports
Operative Text
No credit bureau doing business in this state shall use all or part of a consumer's social security number as the sole factor when determining whether a credit report in its files matches the identity of a person who is the subject of a credit inquiry from a user of credit reports. When a social security number is used as a factor, a credit bureau may disclose a credit report in its files to an inquiring user of credit reports only if the name also matches the identity of the person who is the subject of the inquiry.
Rhode Island General Laws § 6-13.1-29 restricts how credit bureaus operating in the state may match a consumer's identity when responding to credit inquiries. A social security number alone is not sufficient to confirm that a credit file belongs to the person being inquired about. When a social security number is used as part of the matching process, the consumer's name must also match before the credit bureau may release the report.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Property owners and managers who request credit reports on prospective tenants should be aware that under § 6-13.1-29, Rhode Island credit bureaus are required to verify both a social security number and a name before releasing a consumer's credit file. A compliant screening process typically involves providing accurate and complete applicant information—including full legal name and social security number—to the credit bureau so that the bureau can satisfy its matching obligations. Operators generally keep records of the information submitted with each credit inquiry to document that the request was made in good faith.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under § 6-13.1-29, Rhode Island residents have a protection against their credit report being disclosed based solely on a social security number match—a name match is also required when a social security number is used. If a tenant believes a credit bureau released their report without properly verifying their identity, they may have grounds to raise that as a concern under Rhode Island's Deceptive Trade Practices Act (R.I. Gen. Laws ch. 6-13.1). General enforcement paths can include filing a complaint with the Rhode Island Attorney General's office or consulting a tenant-rights or consumer-rights organization to understand available options.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 15, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
Rules and statutes that cite this regulation