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You are here: Home / Newsletter Articles / Housing complex settles discrimination case, adopts fair criminal history policy for tenant applicants

Housing complex settles discrimination case, adopts fair criminal history policy for tenant applicants

April 28, 2021by Lauren Brasil

application with criminal background check headerOn March 29, 2021, Legal Aid of North Carolina announced that it had settled a housing discrimination complaint against Cypress Grove Apartments, a multifamily housing complex located in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Legal Aid’s Fair Housing Project filed the complaint on behalf of a 64-year-old tenant whose rental application was denied because of Cypress Grove’s criminal history policy. The complaint alleged that Cypress Grove, based on its criminal history policy, illegally rejected the tenant’s rental application because of a 34-year-old felony assault conviction, in violation of the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA). Cypress Grove denied the allegations and asserted that its actions were not in violation of the FHA.

As a result of the conciliation agreement signed by the parties and approved by the North Carolina Human Relations Commission on November 12, 2020, Cypress Grove adopted and implemented a new criminal history policy, substantially based on 2016 guidance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Jeffrey Dillman, co-director of the Fair Housing Project, noted that policies that reject all applicants with a criminal history can violate fair housing laws, stating “Cypress Grove Apartments is to be commended for adopting its new criminal history policy, which will review applicants’ individual situations rather than automatically rejecting all applicants with a criminal history.”

Click here for more information about Renting with a Criminal Background.

Click here to access the Fair Housing and Criminal Background Screening Guide for Public Housing and Section 8 Vouchers.

Click here to access the Fair Housing and Criminal Background Screening Guide: Low Income Housing Tax Credit Properties.

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More from this Newsletter Issue: Spring 2021

HUD Moves to Reinstate the 2015 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule and the 2013 Disparate Impact rule
HUD Withdraws Proposed Rule, Reaffirms Its Commitment to Equal Access to Housing, Shelters, and Other Services Regardless of Gender Identity
Recent HUD Enforcement Activities: Conciliation Agreements and Charges of Discrimination
Celebrating Fair Housing Month

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The work that provided the basis for this publication was supported by funding under a grant (FEOI210033) with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The substance and findings of the work are dedicated to the public. The author and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of the statements and interpretations contained in this publication. Such interpretations do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Government.

Tagged With: criminal background, race

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More from this Newsletter Issue

Spring 2021

  • HUD Moves to Reinstate the 2015 Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule and the 2013 Disparate Impact rule
  • HUD Withdraws Proposed Rule, Reaffirms Its Commitment to Equal Access to Housing, Shelters, and Other Services Regardless of Gender Identity
  • Recent HUD Enforcement Activities: Conciliation Agreements and Charges of Discrimination
  • Celebrating Fair Housing Month

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    Fair Housing Project
    P.O. Box 26087
    Raleigh, NC 27611-6087
    1-855-797-3247
    info@fairhousingnc.org

    Our Mission

    The Fair Housing Project of Legal Aid of North Carolina works to eliminate housing discrimination and to ensure equal housing opportunity for all people through education, outreach, public policy initiatives, advocacy and enforcement.

     

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