Tennessee Tenant Screening Protections

The Problem

Tennessee renters are facing a dual crisis of affordability and systemic barriers to housing. Tenant screening has become a $1 billion industry that often uses inaccurate public data and complex algorithms to “blacklist” renters. For many Tennessee renters, decisions about where they can live are increasingly made by unaccountable AI systems. This decision-making process raises questions about how to protect and enforce renters’ rights.

Our Approach

Housing for All Tennessee (H4ATN) is launching a statewide campaign and survey initiative to dismantle systemic housing barriers. Our work is grounded in a Housing Justice framework that centers lived experience, leverages data, and advances policy solutions.

  • To ensure that renters, unhoused Tennesseans, people with disabilities, formerly incarcerated individuals, and families impacted by displacement are not just consulted—but are leading the narrative and solutions. We are prioritizing:

    • Surveys and listening sessions to elevate community experiences

    • Storytelling that informs policy

    • Compensation and respect for community expertise

  • We are pairing lived experience with rigorous, accessible data to identify patterns of harm and opportunities for change. This includes:

    • Administering a statewide survey to understand renters' experiences, disaggregating by race, income, geography, disability, and housing status

    • Mapping systemic disparities across urban, suburban, and rural communities

    • Using data to hold systems and decision-makers accountableDescription text goes here

  • We are translating community wisdom and data into bold, equitable housing policy solutions. We will advance policies that:

    • Expand access to housing by limiting the use of personal records to determine housing

    • Address racialized harms in housing and historic disinvestment in communities

    • Shift power to communities and away from corporations and extractive systems

Help Improve Tenant Screening:
Take the Survey or Join as a Partner

You Can Help Improve Tenant Screening Across Tennessee

Together, tenants, landlords, and community organizations can help make housing access fairer and more transparent. Whether you share your experience, take a survey, or partner with us, your voice helps shape better housing policies for everyone.

Share Your Story

Your experience matters. We’re collecting stories from renters, unhoused Tennesseans, people with disabilities, families impacted by displacement, and anyone who has faced barriers to housing.

By sharing your story, you’ll help reveal unfair screening practices, inform better policies, and support housing solutions that work for everyone.

The survey takes about 10–15 minutes. Please share it with friends, neighbors, or anyone affected by housing challenges.

👉 Take the survey in English: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BK7WJ36

👉 Realice la encuesta en español: https://es.surveymonkey.com/r/7P8THN7

Share Your Perspective

Landlords and property managers play a vital role in creating fair housing opportunities across Tennessee. Your experience can help us understand how tenant screening policies work in practice — and identify ways to make the process fairer and more effective for everyone.

We invite you to take our short survey and share what’s working, what’s challenging, and what support would help ensure better outcomes for both housing providers and renters.

👉 Take the survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/P2GD29X

Join Us as a Partner

We’re building a statewide campaign to make tenant screening fairer across Tennessee — and we need your organization’s help.

We’re looking for partners, especially in rural areas, to help us reach tenants, share surveys, and ensure every community’s experience is represented. Together, we can use this data to shape stronger, more equitable housing policies.

Interested in joining us?
Email: info@blackclergycollaborative.org, and we’ll schedule a short Zoom meeting to share details and next steps.