The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Indiana Senate Bill 50 prohibits landlords from making hard credit inquiries for rental applications
Last action · January 8, 2026: Senator Ford J.D. added as coauthorSponsors: La Keisha Jackson and 1 other
Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.
What This Bill Proposed
Indiana landlords are prohibited from conducting hard credit inquiries or using s containing hard inquiries when evaluating rental applicants, effective July 1, 2026. Violations constitute a deceptive act actionable by both the applicant and the attorney general.
Rental applicants are protected from temporary drops in credit scores caused by apartment hunting, while landlords face statutory liability under consumer sales laws for using traditional credit checks during screening.
- Senate Bill 50 was introduced during the Second Regular Session of the 124th Indiana General Assembly for the 2026 legislative session. context
- The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Local Government following its first reading in December 2025. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
applicant
Rental applicants are protected from having hard credit inquiries run during the apartment application process.
landlord
Landlords are prohibited from using hard credit inquiries or specific screening reports and face legal liability for violations.
Key Facts
- Landlords are prohibited from making hard inquiries to consumer reporting agencies or specialty consumer reporting agencies for an applicant's consumer report.
- Landlords are prohibited from obtaining or using tenant screening reports that include information obtained through a hard credit inquiry.
- A hard inquiry is defined as an inquiry that is noted on an applicant's consumer report and negatively impacts their credit score.
- A landlord who violates these provisions commits a deceptive act actionable by the applicant and the attorney general under Indiana deceptive consumer sales statutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a landlord checks my credit using a hard inquiry?
Does this ban all credit checks by landlords?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Follow the record
Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in Senate committee.
Procedural history
3 actions- Jan 8, 2026SenateSenator Ford J.D. added as coauthor
- Dec 8, 2025SenateIntroducedFirst reading: referred to Committee on Local Government
- Dec 8, 2025SenateAuthored by Senator Jackson L
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
New Statutory Chapter for Tenant Screening
The bill creates a new chapter (IC 32-31-13.2) specifically regulating tenant application credit screenings and linking violations to existing consumer protection laws.
Sources
iga.in.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 60)
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
Publisher tools