Help Center

Dos and Don’ts for Using Reports

At Property Focus, our mission is to provide easy and affordable access to public record information, helping you make informed decisions about properties and their owners. However, it's important to understand that there are legal restrictions on how you can use this information. Laws such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) regulate the use of certain types of data, and we take these laws very seriously. Misusing public records or data from Property Focus can have legal consequences, and we reserve the right to terminate user accounts or report misuse to the appropriate authorities.

Dos: Permitted Uses of Property Focus Reports

  • Verify Online Sellers: Make sure that a person selling something online is who they claim to be.
  • Confirm Current Addresses: Use our reports to send invitations, letters, or greeting cards by verifying someone's address.
  • Check Your Own Information: Review what public records contain about you to ensure accuracy.
  • Reconnect with Old Friends or Family: Reconnect with old friends or distant family members by using public record information.
  • Screen Potential Roommates: Before signing a lease, check out information about potential roommates to make sure you’re comfortable.
  • Research Property Owners: If you're considering buying or investing in a property, you can learn more about the current or previous owners.
  • Organize Neighborhood Events: Use the reports to reach out to neighbors when planning a community or neighborhood event.

Don’ts: Prohibited Uses of Property Focus Reports

  • Tenant Screening: You cannot use Property Focus to screen tenants for residential or commercial leases. By law, this requires a Consumer Reporting Agency to conduct background checks.
  • Credit, Insurance, or Mortgage Assessments: Do not use Property Focus reports to evaluate someone’s creditworthiness, eligibility for insurance, or risk for a mortgage. This violates FCRA regulations.
  • Employment Screening: You are prohibited from using Property Focus reports for employment background checks, including evaluating job applicants or existing employees for promotion, reassignment, or retention.
  • Hiring of Household Workers: If you're hiring a nanny, domestic worker, or any household employee, you must use a proper background check service, not Property Focus data.
  • Educational Qualifications: You may not use Property Focus reports to evaluate a person’s eligibility for educational programs, scholarships, or grants.
  • Considering Adoption (Human or Pet): You cannot use our reports to vet individuals looking to adopt children, pets, or service animals.
  • Vetting Charity or Non-Profit Participants: It is prohibited to use Property Focus to assess someone’s eligibility or fitness for charity, non-profit, or grant programs.
  • Stalking or Spying: Misusing public information to stalk or spy on individuals is illegal and strictly prohibited.
  • Identity Theft: Using data to steal someone’s identity is a serious crime. Do not engage in this activity under any circumstances.
  • Contacting People Against Their Wishes: If someone has expressed a desire not to be contacted, respect their privacy and do not use Property Focus to continue reaching out.

Using Property Focus reports in these prohibited ways violates our Terms & Conditions and can lead to severe legal penalties, including account termination and criminal prosecution. We encourage users to carefully consider how they intend to use public records and to consult our full Terms & Conditions if there is any uncertainty. If you need information for any purpose restricted by the FCRA, please use a Consumer Reporting Agency.

What is the FCRA?

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is a federal law that protects consumers' rights regarding the collection and use of their personal information by third parties, particularly in relation to credit, insurance, employment, and other sensitive decisions. Property Focus is not a Consumer Reporting Agency, and the information you obtain from us cannot be used to determine someone’s eligibility for credit, insurance, employment, or housing. If you need to perform background checks or assess someone for any of these purposes, you must use a Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA) such as TransUnion, Equifax, or Experian, which provides data in compliance with the FCRA.

For access to a Consumer Reporting Agency, visit:

If you have any further questions about the permitted uses of Property Focus reports, feel free to contact us.

The information in our reports and on our website may not necessarily be 100% accurate, complete, or current and may include AI generated content. It should not replace your own research, especially for sensitive information like owners, residents, mortgages, and liens. Some sources such as public municipalities may be slow to update their information digitally. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the accuracy, completeness or timeliness of all results.

It is PROHIBITED by law to use our service or the information contained on our website to make decisions about employment, insurance, consumer credit, tenant screening, or for any other purpose subject to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 USC 1681 et seq. Property Focus does not provide private investigator services or consumer reports, and is not a consumer reporting agency as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. For more information about our prohibited and permitted uses please review our Dos and Don’ts and our Terms of Use.