The Ontario government is tweaking a mandate for credit bureaus to release landlords’ contact information to qualified recipients in specified situations. That’s even though those disclosure requirements still haven’t come into force two years after enabling legislation was passed.
Under Ontario’s Consumer Reporting Act currently, a consumer who submits a written request to a credit reporting agency is entitled to a list containing the names of all third parties who have gained access to that enquirer’s credit report and/or score during the three-year period preceding the request. This must be supplied free of charge and may, at the credit bureau’s discretion, also include the addresses or phone numbers of the third parties, such as landlords, lenders or creditors, who have sought information about the consumer.
A 2023 amendment to the Act expanded the disclosure requirements, mandating that credit bureaus provide consumers with third parties’ names, addresses and email addresses or telephone numbers. However, that amendment has never been enacted, meaning that the rules are on the books, but not actually in effect.
The corrective amendment now contemplated in Bill 46, a package of legislation aimed at reducing red tape, would limit disclosure details to just the names and telephone numbers of third parties. An associated Ontario government backgrounder suggests the change will “eliminate unnecessary administrative burden on consumer reporting agencies, creditors and lenders” and guard against potential privacy risks should consumers then use the disclosed email addresses to convey sensitive information to the identified third parties.
“The amendments may especially benefit seniors, newcomers and vulnerable people who are at increased risk of identity theft and who may be less aware of which information should be shared via less secure communication channels, such as email,” the backgrounder states.
The public can submit comments on the proposed amendment via the Ontario government’s regulatory registry until July 4, 2025.
