Amendment:
Fair Chance At Housing Act
To prohibit landlords from not renting to tenants because of certain aspects of their criminal background.
Section 1. Short title
This Act shall be cited as the “Fair Chance At Housing Act”.
Section 2. Disclosure Limitation
(a) In general. —
A landlord shall not require potential tents or renters to disclose, nor use the following to base a rental decision —
(1) any arrests that did not result in a criminal conviction;
(2) participation in a diversion or deferral of judgment program;
(3) any expunged, invalidated, or voided convictions;
(4) any juvenile convictions;
(5) any offenses that are neither felonies or misdemeanors; and
(6) any convictions that took place more than seven years prior where any incarceration for such conviction has been completed no less than two years prior.
(b) Criminal exceptions. —
Paragraph (6) of Subsection (2)(a) shall not apply to the crimes of —
(1) murder and manslaughter;
(2) felony assault that causes serious physical injury;
(3) kidnapping;
(4) crimes of which are of a sexual nature;
(5) crimes relating to theft or destruction of personal property;
(6) manufacturing or trafficking of illegal controlled substances, but not the sole procession of drugs without intent to sell.
(c) Criminal background check. —
No landlord shall conduct any background checks on potential tenants until after a conditional lease offer is made to such tenants, which may thereafter be rescinded as a result of any information found in a background check in accordance with this Act.
(d) Notification.—
A landlord shall be required notify any applicants if their conditional lease offer is rescinded in writing within 7 days, which shall include a copy of the background check and the stated reason for rescinding such conditional lease offer offer.
(e) Two-family dwelling exception. —
Subsection (2)(a) and (2)(c-d) shall not apply to landlords renting a two-family dwelling in which they live in as their main residence.
Section 3. Noncompliance
Upon conviction in a summary proceeding, a person who violates Section (2) of this Act shall be subject to a fine not greater than five hundred dollars per violation.
Section 4. Implementation
This Act shall take effect immediately after passage.
