Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
IOWA CITY IA. My son was able to rent the first apartment he looked at even with a 6 year old felony which was drug related. He decided to give his notice because they were raising the rent. Now he cant find another apt in IOwa City. He is 38 no kids no pets with a great job. Works 10 - 12 hours a day. Anyone know of any apartments that may accept him???? His was a federal charge.
If he was smart he'd stay right where he is with the landlord he has.
My son who is 38 no kids was lucky enough to find an apt first time looking with a 6 yr old felony. They were raising the rent on a one br so gave notice and started looking. Months later no luck. Never late on rent and recd full deposit back. I cosigned too. Anyone know of places willing to give second chance. He works ten or more hours a day.
My son who is 38 no kids was lucky enough to find an apt first time looking with a 6 yr old felony. They were raising the rent on a one br so gave notice and started looking. Months later no luck. Never late on rent and recd full deposit back. I cosigned too. Anyone know of places willing to give second chance. He works ten or more hours a day.
Again, if he was smart, he'd stay with the landlord he has and pay the increase.
.......... My son was able to rent the first apartment he looked at even with a 6 year old felony which was drug related. He decided to give his notice because they were raising the rent. Now he cant find another apt in IOwa City. .........
Just my personal opinion, but I believe that tenants that have something on their record that will make renting difficult really ought to stay put once they have an acceptable place to live. Your son doesn't want to pay higher rent, so he is going to end up with free rent for that cardboard box behind a dumpster if no one else will accept him.
Veering a bit off topic, I also don't rent to helicopter parents who are trying to find a place for their adult children.
Actually, it depends on the state you reside in. Texas, for example, has made it a law that background checks can only go back up to 10 years. There's a 7 or 10 year option for employers, landlords, credit companies, etc. to check which option they want in the state background check. However, as always there is an exception to the rule. A registered sex offender's background will come up for the duration of time they have to register and possibly lifetime (There is a loophole as well for sex offenders in some cases regarding this, I'll explain later). A lot of states follow this guideline, but as always check your local state laws. Keep in mind, if you have convictions in other states & a nation-wide search is required then the laws of the state conducting the search apply, not the laws of the state the conviction is in.
I find it funny that people assume they can legally go back as far as they want, especially when anything you need to know can be found online. But one final thing to take note of, in most states it is illegal for a potential employer, landlord, credit company, etc. to conduct a background check for use of denying employment, leasing a residence, approving credit, etc. without a signed document from the applicant that specifically states it will be used for this purpose. And it doesn't matter if a person checked yes on an application for any of the above, the seperate form has to be there to do it.
So those of you who think "I'll rent to who I want", beware . . . if you don't have the right documentation that makes it legal you could be facing legal ramifications yourself if you have someone like me, who is an ex-felon & very aware of the law when it comes to this, that you deny my application based on my background.
In closing, as for the loophole for registered sex offenders, it varies from situation to situation (i.e. from applying for employment to applying to lease a residence to applying for credit).
1) In employment situations if your conviction date is over 10 years old then the company is not legally allowed to deny you employment, despite the fact that your background will still come up after the fact & possibly for the rest of your life.
2) In leasing it's a bit trickier. If it's an individual owned house then the same rules apply as for employment, unless it's part of a home-owners association & there are specific rules in place with the homeowners association that prevent leasing to ex-felons of all or specific types. But you also need to check specific city/county ordinances that can prevent you from living there as well. If it's an apartment type complex then they can discriminate based on the safety of their other occupants, because although it's an individual apartment all residents live in the same building/dwelling environment.
3) But there's another loophole to houses & apartments (or lofts to be more exact). Now the homeowners association & city/county ordinance rule usually applies no matter what, but under any other circumstance if you are purchasing the house or loft (as many lofts are individually for sale) then the rules do not apply, as no one can tell you wwhat you can or cannot purchase. And for the most part, if you own it you can live in it and there's nothing anyone can do about it, except move theirselves somewhere else if they don't like it.
4) As for credit, most don't even care about your criminal background, they're only concerned primarily with credit related issues that come up. So no real worries there.
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 fourty dallors 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..
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 fourty dallors 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..
You have a record...you can lie from here to Kingdom come about it, but it's going to show up on your background check. You need to find a private landlord who doesnt' do background checks (pretty much a slumlord)
You need to find a private landlord who doesnt' do background checks (pretty much a slumlord)
Or a private landlord who does do background checks but is able to make an independent decision on renting rather than BigTime Apartment Complex who says, "no criminal record" and cannot deviate one inch on that.
Not saying that the private landlord would/should make an exception, but that it is a possibility.
According to this website, your criminal records won't show up on a background check for a landlord after it is 7 years old. It is also possible to have the record expunged:
I'd answer "no" if asked by a LL if you have ever been convicted. I don't think it's fair for someone to expect you to answer "yes," when legally, they are no longer allowed to get that info due to the statute of limitations.
There are certain situations where you can't answer "no," even though it's over 7 years. I think in regards to employment? I forget, it says in the article. BUT, if you get the criminal record legally expunged, you can apparently always answer "no" legally. But, this doesn't apply to landlords.
I had a bankruptcy that no longer shows up on my credit report. I answer "no" if asked. If they can't legally get that info, I don't feel obligated to voluntarily answer yes, just because they are bold enough to ask. The form should say, have you had a bankruptcy in the last 10 years? (the statute of limitations)
IMO.
At any rate, OP, it won't show on a background check done for a landlord, so just say "no." If somehow a LL finds out you lied and denies you based on that lie, c'est la vie. But, the odds are in your favor.
I would like some insight on exactly what you know concerning RSO and felons in General.
Can you tell me what laws they have adopted in Texas concerning Sex Offenders and Ex-Felons in general. I am an Ex-Felon and my husband is a registered Sex Offender and we just recently recieved an application for renting and it states in BOLD LETTERS "WE WILL NOT RENT TO YOU IF YOU ARE A FELON". I find this ludacris. I am a criminal justice major and my husband has a very repritable business where we live now. If it was not for my health we would not be looking to relocate. Everywhere that we turn we are getting shut down everyhere and we really need to move. Can you help me out and shed some light on this for me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Law_Abiding_Citizen
Actually, it depends on the state you reside in. Texas, for example, has made it a law that background checks can only go back up to 10 years. There's a 7 or 10 year option for employers, landlords, credit companies, etc. to check which option they want in the state background check. However, as always there is an exception to the rule. A registered sex offender's background will come up for the duration of time they have to register and possibly lifetime (There is a loophole as well for sex offenders in some cases regarding this, I'll explain later). A lot of states follow this guideline, but as always check your local state laws. Keep in mind, if you have convictions in other states & a nation-wide search is required then the laws of the state conducting the search apply, not the laws of the state the conviction is in.
I find it funny that people assume they can legally go back as far as they want, especially when anything you need to know can be found online. But one final thing to take note of, in most states it is illegal for a potential employer, landlord, credit company, etc. to conduct a background check for use of denying employment, leasing a residence, approving credit, etc. without a signed document from the applicant that specifically states it will be used for this purpose. And it doesn't matter if a person checked yes on an application for any of the above, the seperate form has to be there to do it.
So those of you who think "I'll rent to who I want", beware . . . if you don't have the right documentation that makes it legal you could be facing legal ramifications yourself if you have someone like me, who is an ex-felon & very aware of the law when it comes to this, that you deny my application based on my background.
In closing, as for the loophole for registered sex offenders, it varies from situation to situation (i.e. from applying for employment to applying to lease a residence to applying for credit).
1) In employment situations if your conviction date is over 10 years old then the company is not legally allowed to deny you employment, despite the fact that your background will still come up after the fact & possibly for the rest of your life.
2) In leasing it's a bit trickier. If it's an individual owned house then the same rules apply as for employment, unless it's part of a home-owners association & there are specific rules in place with the homeowners association that prevent leasing to ex-felons of all or specific types. But you also need to check specific city/county ordinances that can prevent you from living there as well. If it's an apartment type complex then they can discriminate based on the safety of their other occupants, because although it's an individual apartment all residents live in the same building/dwelling environment.
3) But there's another loophole to houses & apartments (or lofts to be more exact). Now the homeowners association & city/county ordinance rule usually applies no matter what, but under any other circumstance if you are purchasing the house or loft (as many lofts are individually for sale) then the rules do not apply, as no one can tell you wwhat you can or cannot purchase. And for the most part, if you own it you can live in it and there's nothing anyone can do about it, except move theirselves somewhere else if they don't like it.
4) As for credit, most don't even care about your criminal background, they're only concerned primarily with credit related issues that come up. So no real worries there.
Can you tell me what laws they have adopted in Texas concerning Sex Offenders and Ex-Felons in general. I am an Ex-Felon and my husband is a registered Sex Offender and we just recently recieved an application for renting and it states in BOLD LETTERS "WE WILL NOT RENT TO YOU IF YOU ARE A FELON". I find this ludacris. I am a criminal justice major and my husband has a very repritable business where we live now. If it was not for my health we would not be looking to relocate. Everywhere that we turn we are getting shut down everyhere and we really need to move. Can you help me out and shed some light on this for me.
You were convicted of a felony offense, your husband is a registered sex offender but you're incensed that potential landlords won't rent to you? It's not ludicrous at all, just business. Perception and business. if you really must move then seek out a private landlord who may not be as astute in investigating your past.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Renting in Iowa City Ia
I would like some insight on exactly what you know concerning RSO and felons in General.
