Shadow credit score could decide whether you get an apartment
It should obviously be illegal - preferably criminal - to check a credit score for a place to live, anyway - because a credit score, probably at least half the time - has little to no impact on how reliable of an individual you are financially.<p>I live in Canada, where health care is covered, but dental isn’t. I had an injury several years ago which effectively destroyed many of my teeth, and ended up more than $15,000 into debt over it. I couldn’t make my payments on time for probably a couple years, and even though I finally managed to pay it off, it’s a black spot on my credit history for years to come - through absolutely no fault of my own.<p>This is <i>infinitely</i> worse in the USA, where the pathetic government that promises ‘freedom’ somehow doesn’t get that universal health care is a huge part of that.<p>I have family in the USA who got cancer.<p>Due to the absolutely bullshit health care system there, they are completely, utterly, financially devastated.<p>This family member had to be stopped from <i>committing suicide</i> when they found out just how much it would cost to save their life. That they would have to declare bankruptcy. That their credit score, and anything they&#x27;d ever need to do with money in the rest of their life - was completely gone.<p>It’s literally why I don’t live in the USA anymore. Scared me shitless.<p>You know what’s way - <i>way</i> worse than getting cancer?<p>Having to pay more than you could ever possibly afford for getting cancer.<p>Good luck getting a house after that, thanks to this bullshit.<p>According to credit scores - you should be held <i>personally responsible</i> for the fact that you got that disease.<p>Literally - how <i>dare</i> you get cancer. Enjoy having a shit credit score for the rest of however long you have to live.<p>The fact is - people need places to live, and if people have poor credit - especially if it’s of no fault of their own, but due to the bullshit system we live in that has no room for genuine accidents - how the hell are these people ever supposed to find a place to live?<p>I had to go out of my way - and pretty much pay extra - to find a landlady here in Toronto even willing to give me enough understanding to rent a place - and I make about $100k CDN a year.<p>I had to explain the whole situation, come up with <i>documents to prove</i> that’s what actually happened, and even then I was lucky to get a place to rent. I can’t <i>imagine</i> what it’s like for people who might have half or less of my income and poor credit through no fault of their own but are looking for a place to live.<p><i>Fuck</i> the credit score system. It is an abhorrent human rights issue - is simply disgusting and disturbing - and only serves the rich.<p>A credit score does not take into account for humanness.<p>It’s the nuke of weaponized capitalism, yet another tool to keep the rich more rich and the poor more poor.<p>May the greedy miscreants who developed and enforce this wicked system rot in a special kind of hell.