B.C. company doing inspections for landlords is under privacy investigation

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Privacy commissioners from Canada and British Columbia have launched an investigation into a Victoria company that conducts background checks on tenants and others.

In a joint statement, they said Certn is being evaluated to ensure it complies with the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and B.C.’s Personal Information Protection Act.

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The commissioners said they would investigate whether the “consent clauses” in both laws were followed and whether the data collected was used appropriately.

Certn’s website says that rather than using “outdated” manual screening methods on its customers, it uses “100% online automated checks” for background checks and can perform criminal record checks, identity checks and employment verification in more than 200 countries.

The company had no immediate comment on the committee’s investigation.

Federal Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne said in a news release that the collection of personal information about potential tenants must be consented for and must be accurate because it “may ultimately impact an individual’s ability to find a place to live.”

British Columbia Privacy Commissioner Michael Harvey said there is a balance between an individual’s right to privacy and the need for businesses to collect personal information.

“At a time when hundreds of thousands of British Columbians are facing affordability and housing challenges, it’s critical to strike this balance and ensure people’s privacy rights are respected in the rental space,” he said in a news release.

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