# Housing FIRST Act: Plain Language Summary

The Housing FIRST Act makes significant changes to how rental screening reports work, with a focus on helping people with criminal records find housing. Right now, when landlords check your background before renting to you, they can see arrests, convictions, and other criminal justice information that might be years or even decades old. This bill restricts what information can appear on these tenant screening reports and creates new protections for renters.

The core change is that rental screening reports can no longer include certain criminal justice information. Specifically, they cannot show arrests that didn't lead to conviction, any juvenile records (even if you were tried as an adult), traffic citations, cases where you successfully completed diversion programs or drug court, convictions where you've already finished your sentence, or convictions that have been expunged, sealed, or pardoned. The only criminal convictions that can still appear are those where you're currently on probation or parole. This is a major shift because it means landlords won't automatically reject applicants based on old criminal history, which is particularly important for formerly incarcerated people trying to rebuild their lives.

The bill also requires landlords to be more transparent when they reject someone for housing. If a landlord denies your rental application based on a background report, they must tell you within three days and explain specifically which information in the report led to that decision. This gives renters a chance to correct errors or explain their circumstances. Additionally, the bill clarifies that consumer reporting agencies must disclose where they got their information, making the process more transparent overall.

Housing FIRST Act

Housing for Formerly Incarcerated Reentry and Stable Tenancy Act or the Housing FIRST Act This bill limits the information allowed to be shared on credit reports and considered in housing decisions, including certain criminal background information. First, the bill prohibits a consumer reporting agency from including specified information on a consumer credit report provided for tenant screening purposes, such as arrests, juvenile adjudications or convictions, civil citations, resolved criminal cases (e.g., through completion of a diversion program), and convictions with completed sentences. Further, the bill restricts the use of consumer credit reports for tenant screening. A person who obtains such a report must not use it in violation of fair housing laws and must disclose its use to the consumer. When taking adverse action based on the report, a person must provide the consumer with a copy of the report, the specific reasons for the adverse action, and other information. The bill also specifies that upon request, consumer reporting agencies must disclose to a consumer the entity that is the source of any information on a consumer credit report. Finally, the bill excludes from consumer credit reports criminal convictions older than seven years.