Ban the box may begin to effect tenant screening

‘ban the box’ movement rapidly spreading across the country and recent moves by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to curtail the use of criminal history records as part of tenant screening public housing applicants, a substantive change in tenant screening could be coming in 2016. Adam Almeida, President and CEO of TenantScreeningUSA.com states: “Criminal records and the use thereof will remain in question as an effective tool in screening individuals for rental properties and employment in the coming year. Continued litigation by the EEOC over the fair and lawful use of criminal histories, specifically as a potentially discriminatory practice, could eventually transition to litigation by HUD regarding the same potential issue.” Across the country the rental housing market has become competitive and renters are having a hard time finding properties. Thanks to the tight marketplace, landlords can tighten rental policies to the point of being restrictive. Criminal record checks are simply one way to reduce the applicant pool. It’s important to remember, however, that tenant screening can not only protect a property and the overall investment, but also protecting profitability. “It’s critical that homeowners follow through with a comprehensive screening to verify that potential tenants have the ability to pay the rent and that they have a history of being credit worthy,” said Gorman. “Additionally, by conducting a background check, you can ensure that you’ve entrusted your property to renters who will respect your home and your neighbors, preventing future issues that can impact your bottom line and your entire community.” With an incredibly tough housing market and evictions becoming commonplace, it’s low-income communities that are getting hit the hardest. It seems more than likely that tenant screening will soon find itself more aligned with ban the box legislation, preventing landlords from performing a criminal record check on an applicant until further along the application process. If you’re a landlord and have any questions about how this may affect you, get in touch today.]]>