Portland Continues to Lead Change in Tenant Screening; Opines TenantScreeningUSA.com

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• USA - English

WALTHAM, Mass., April 17, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Once again the City of Portland appears to be leading the country in changing regulations to allow greater access to rental housing, across a broader spectrum of candidates, including those with criminal history and not so perfect consumer credit reports. Adam Almeida, President and CEO of TenantScreeningUSA.com opines: "Actions such as those in Portland greatly highlight the need for all landlords and/or property managers to work with a third-party tenant screening agency in order to remain fully compliant with laws and regulations governing the use of screening documents such as criminal history reports and consumer credit reports."

In Portland, Oregon, a city struggling with challenges in rental housing, a city commissioner seeks legislation over how landlords manage tenant applications.

From KATU.com (Mar. 28, 19)

Hoping to get more people into homes, Portland City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly is proposing that landlords look past a prospective renter's ding in their credit or even their criminal past. (1)

Housing remains at a premium in Portland and across the country, and housing remains key in preventing recidivism.

Almeida adds: "Access to housing is critical to everyone, especially formerly incarcerated individuals. But it is important to vet those seeking a rental property. Tenant screening is risk management, and risk management is hugely critical to landlords and/or property managers."

Yet the City of Portland is pushing to change how landlords manage their properties.

From KATU.com (Mar. 28, 19):

No matter the screening, the new proposal would require landlords to advertise vacancies 72 hours before they start taking applications, and they would have to evaluate the applications in the order they came in.

The proposal would keep landlords from requiring tenants to earn more than twice the monthly rent in income, and not let landlords dig as deeply into criminal pasts of other adults who might be living in an apartment, but don't pay rent. (2)

The City of Portland recently heard public testimony regarding this issue. It remains a contentious issue.

From OPB.org (Apr. 04, 19):

Supporters say it's a necessary step to combat discrimination in the rental market and for Portland to live up to its progressive values.

Detractors say it's overly prescriptive, heavy on red tape and could have unintended consequences – like raising rents. (3)

Almeida concludes: "Regardless the outcome of the Portland challenge, when actions such as this occur, landlords and/or property managers should make sure they are compliant with current law by working with a well-qualified third-party tenant screening agency."

TenantScreeningUSA.com provides full service tenant screening for landlords and property managers of any size and can greatly assist in remaining fully compliant with all existing law governing tenant screening. With a highly trained and experienced staff, TenantScreeningUSA.com can provide help to landlords and property managers with all tenant screening needs and requirements.

Notes:
(1)    katu.com/news/local/city-leader-chloe-eudaly-wants-landlords-to-forgive-bad-credit-crime
(2)    ibid.
(3)    opb.org/news/article/portland-proposed-rental-screening-rules-perspectives/

SOURCE TenantScreeningUSA.com