Rent Guarantors To Share Data On Non-Paying Tenants

[Mulboyne]

The Asahi reports (Japanese) a group of 9 rent guarantor companies have decided to go ahead with a plan to set up a database with details of tenant payment records. An earlier proposal to do the same was met with considerable criticism from groups who feared that people finding themselves on a blacklist could have trouble finding accommodation. There is no announcement yet about when the database will begin recording data but the article mentions that it will take a couple of years before it becomes of practical use. Nevertheless, even in its initial period of operation, it is expected to cover around 20% of the nation's residential rental properties. The group has attempted to give reassurance that the database won't be used to penalize tenants who have fallen on hard times and go into arrears but fears still remain that teh safeguards have not been adequately explained.