California Civil Rights Department, Housing Discrimination

Citation: California Civil Rights Department, Housing Discrimination
Jurisdiction: California (state)
Source: Official source
Original Source: https://calcivilrights.ca.gov/housing/ ↗

Related Parts of This Source

Full Text

1,210 chars

Can a housing provider consider an applicant’s criminal history in deciding whether or not to rent to them?

Yes. Generally, a housing provider may check the criminal history of an applicant, but there are some limitations. Housing providers cannot consider some types of criminal history including arrests that did not lead to a conviction, records that are sealed or expunged, or records or matters processed in the juvenile justice system. Housing providers are also prohibited from having “blanket bans” of all people with a criminal history.

If a housing provider intends to deny someone’s application based on a criminal conviction, it must be directly-related to someone’s ability to be a good tenant and to not be a threat to the health and safety of others and the property. In determining whether a criminal conviction is directly-related, a housing provider should consider the nature and severity of the crime and the amount of time that has passed since the criminal conduct occurred.

For more information, please see CRD’s Fair Housing and Criminal History factsheet and Fair Housing and Criminal History FAQ

Does the law protect tenants from harassment by housing providers and other tenants?