Bill Summary
A landlord must accept from a prospective tenant a portable tenant screening report (screening report).
The prospective tenant must have requested a screening report from a consumer reporting agency (agency) within the last 30 days, and the report must include certain information about the prospective tenant. The landlord shall not charge a fee for accessing or using a screening report provided by a prospective tenant.
Before collecting any tenant information that would generate an application fee, a landlord must inform prospective tenants that the landlord accepts screening reports. The landlord cannot charge a screening report fee or any other fee to a prospective tenant who provides one. If a prospective tenant’s rental application is denied, and the landlord charges the prospective tenant an application fee to obtain a consumer report, the landlord should provide the prospective tenant with a copy of the consumer report along with a notice of the prospective tenant’s right to dispute the accuracy of the consumer report.
The landlord’s notice of denial must include either a copy of the consumer report or the agency’s contact information if the prospective tenant did not pay an application fee for obtaining a consumer report. Prospective tenants are entitled to a free copy of the consumer report and to dispute its accuracy.
The bill authorizes the attorney general’s office to independently initiate and bring an action to enforce the “Rental Application Fairness Act”.
The link to the bill can be found here.
