Does this Chapter cover what can and cannot show up in my credit report?

No, not really. As a general note, whenever you apply to ANY type of housing—whether you’re applying to private housing (run by a private landlord) OR to government-assisted housing (through a Public Housing Authority (PHA) or directly to an owner of government-assisted housing)—all of these people and agencies CAN access your credit report, which is different from your criminal records, but might be combined in a “tenant report” (which is just a background for housing).

Credit reports include information about your past finances and credit history, such as whether you have a history of paying bills on time. Credit reports also show whether past credit problems have ended in a bankruptcy or a court proceeding for failing to pay your rent on time (called an “eviction” or an “unlawful detainer” ). A credit report shows ONLY credit information, NOT criminal history information. We included some very general rules about credit reports in Appendix G, PG. 426 of this chapter, but these rules are only a summary. This Chapter focuses on how criminal records come up as you apply for housing, not past credit issues.