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All you need to know is that landlords can't discriminate for certain reasons. Discriminating against someone for being a criminal, no matter how long ago it was, is not against the law.
Some public housing will approve you depending on how long ago the crime was and what kind of crime it was. They will provide you with their rules if you ask for them.
Otherwise, just look for places that don't check, is all I can say.
Have you checked to see if your past convictions might be an issue in your future career in criminal justice? Usually, most misdemeanors are OK, but past felonies could be a problem.
You probably need to try for private owners with your history. Most large complexes are owner by large companies and large companies usually just want to keep stamping that cookie cutter out over and over and are not interested in straying from their rules.
I got a 8 year old felony multiple misdemeanors and traffic tickets bad credit, no evictions and I never ever had a problem getting a house or apartment. Most see i work and very respectable plus I have a good personality
Per federal law only an employer must have your permission in writing to do a credit background check. Read for yourself from the Dept. of Justice website [url]http://www.justice.gov/dea/resource-center/policydocs/rules-regulations.pdf[/url]
As for criminal records there is no time limit. Unless the charge was non-disclosed or expunged or you were charged as a juvenile it is and always will be available to the public.
I have a rental and I check back several years depending on the appearance of the applicant. If I find anything except a few minor traffic tickets, or if the applicant lies I don't rent to them. While that might not sound fair, the rental is my property and I will rent it to whomever I want to rent it to. The monthly rent is very low compared to other rentals in the area, so I always have a bunch of people that want to rent this house. I don't have to rent it and I've left it vacant for several months until I was satisfied with an applicant.
This is the most illegal statement I have ever heard. You are not allowed to treat potential tenants differently based on race, sex, or appearance. I am from a suburb that is an upper middle class town and if you saw me you would think I was the most innocent person in the world. People are shocked to learn that I served 5yrs in prison for complicity to felonious assault with a gun. Although this is not who I am and it was a really big mistake to be hanging around the crowd I was, I was 19 at the time and am now 31, but it happened. I had a job interview once with a 70yr old white man, he never asked about my criminal background and hired me on the spot because I had a bachelor's degree in accounting. When a black man interviewed with him a couple weeks later he wouldn't hire him until his criminal background check cleared. That appearance profiling really didn't help him, I was a convicted felon working in his office while the man who probably was more law abiding in his life than I had to wait to get his seat in the office. Just goes to show you can't judge a book by it's cover. I was in prison with plenty of people you would never think you would see in there, and some you would but as a professional what you are doing...well it's not professional at all. Your talking about criminal background checks to do on other people while your breaking the law yourself, lol.
This is the most illegal statement I have ever heard. You are not allowed to treat potential tenants differently based on race, sex, or appearance. I am from a suburb that is an upper middle class town and if you saw me you would think I was the most innocent person in the world. People are shocked to learn that I served 5yrs in prison for complicity to felonious assault with a gun. Although this is not who I am and it was a really big mistake to be hanging around the crowd I was, I was 19 at the time and am now 31, but it happened. I had a job interview once with a 70yr old white man, he never asked about my criminal background and hired me on the spot because I had a bachelor's degree in accounting. When a black man interviewed with him a couple weeks later he wouldn't hire him until his criminal background check cleared. That appearance profiling really didn't help him, I was a convicted felon working in his office while the man who probably was more law abiding in his life than I had to wait to get his seat in the office. Just goes to show you can't judge a book by it's cover. I was in prison with plenty of people you would never think you would see in there, and some you would but as a professional what you are doing...well it's not professional at all. Your talking about criminal background checks to do on other people while your breaking the law yourself, lol.
This is the most illegal statement I have ever heard. You are not allowed to treat potential tenants differently based on race, sex, or appearance. ...
Your talking about criminal background checks to do on other people while your breaking the law yourself, lol.
You do not know what you are talking about.
It is illegal to discriminate based on "race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or handicap".
However, it is perfectly legal to discriminate based on any other factor, such as criminal history, income, unemployed, etc. You can even discriminate against anyone who has blue eyes, is left handed or ugly if you like. There is no law against it.
my crime was arrested 2002, I am confuse on how to apply for a house because of the background check. I had called a realtor and she mentioned the background check, so i was truthful to her about my crime, I feel that I should let her know before i pay her forty dollars for the back ground check. she told me that i couldnt get the house right after telling her the crime. NOw i am worried on how to aswer the queston on the application and the background check.. can you help me with some suggestions..
I have a felony from 2003, I have been upfront and honest about min and haven't had much of an issue. You should know why they are concerned about having a tenant with a felony to help you know how to approach the situation and present yourself. I am not sure what your charge is but drug cases will be probably harder than any others(except sex offender or deadly charges.) I had a felonious assault with a gun, fortunately I had complicity which means I wasn't the one who actually committed the crime, however this was a serious crime and that doesn't take away from the seriousness of the crime. Landlords are concerned by what type of neighbor you will be and how you will take care of the home, some may have a fear that you will get in trouble again and possible bail on the lease if you were to go to jail but that would only b if you are a repeat offender more than likely. Now that you know what their concerns are you can start preparing how to eliminate their fears and prove you are a good potential tenant. If you have worked for any companies well known in the area you can offer character witnesses from the managers or owners who worked closely with you. Character witnesses from your current or past neighbors or landlords are another good thing to present as well. I always point out that I was 19yrs old and am now 31yrs old and the mentality from then to now is completely different since I was still a teenager making stupid decisions on who I surrounded myself with and I completely changed my life since then. Pointing out hat you have done since then to prove you learned your lesson and the arrest was a wake up call that made you get ut of the lifestyle that caused you to get there in the first place is always a good point to make. For example, after I was released from prison I went back to college and finished my bachelors degree in accounting, I started my own business because of difficulty finding jobs, I am also in the process of taking my real estate exam. I also got pregnant right after my arrest and that is obviously a huge reason why I won't be making any stupid decisions again. And last, if this was your n and only crime as a juvenile and an adult they should know that, and that this was a one time thing that happened 12yrs ago and never happened before or after again. All this makes for a good case that you made a mistake once and you are trying to move on in your life and progress. Make sure you are speaking in a very professional manner and make yourself sound and look presentable, you have more to prove than anyone else and you need to look like someone they will be surprised to hear has committed a crime. Even though they cannot judge on look....people do and they are more likely to believe you made this one and only mistake if you look like someone who doesn't normally show up on a mugshot on the news, lol. Hope this helps...I know this is old but thought it would help anyone else reading as well
I've lived in five different apartments and I don't think I've ever had a criminal check done....this is in NYC too...
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Illegal Landlord Practicing
