Ensuring Fair Housing For People With a Criminal Background

Duration: 60 minutes

Speaker: Doug Chasick

Available On-Demand

PURCHASE OPTIONS

Individual Purchase Options
On-Demand Available On-Demand. Watch the webinar recording multiple times for 30 days.	$189
Recording Download link will be emailed for single user access with handouts. Available in 3-5 business days, after Live Event. Never Expires.	$219
Transcript (PDF) PDF transcript of webinar with handouts will be emailed. Available in 7-10 business days, after Live Event. Never Expires.	$179

Group Purchase Options
Recording With License to Share Download link will be emailed with a license to share within the organization. Available in 3-5 business days, after Live Event. Never Expires.	$899	Select

ABOUT THE EVENT

Are your criminal background screening policies putting your property at legal risk? In today's evolving fair housing landscape, outdated and overly restrictive screening practices can expose your properties to discrimination claims, regulatory scrutiny, reputational damage and financial penalties.

Join us for a fast-paced 60-minute webinar designed specifically for multifamily professionals and learn how to navigate the complex intersection of criminal history screening and fair housing laws while maintaining safe communities and minimizing legal exposure. With an increasing number of jurisdictions passing so-called “Fair Chance” laws, the continuing focus on Disparate Impact and increased testing conducted by fair housing advocacy organizations, it is essential to stay current on compliance policies and procedures.

Most importantly, HUD’s guidance on criminal background checks has fundamentally changed how property managers must approach applicant screening. Recent court decisions have reinforced that blanket criminal history bans may violate fair housing protections, as they often have a disparate impact on protected classes.

With increased regulatory enforcement and growing litigation in this area, property managers need clear, actionable strategies that balance community safety with fair housing compliance.

Areas Covered

Disparate Impact Doctrine
HUD Guidance on Criminal Backgrounds
Individualized Assessment
Arrest records and blanket policies
State and local laws
Communications with applicants
The Interactive Process
Documentation
Fair Chance laws and conditional offers to lease
Best practices for compliance

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to explain the key provisions of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) as they pertain to criminal background checks in housing.
Participants will be able to recognize actions related to criminal background checks that may violate the FHA, especially concerning disparate impact.
Participants will be able to establish consistent criteria for evaluating criminal history that are fair housing compliant.
Participants will be able to conduct individualized assessments of applicants with criminal records, considering factors such as the nature and severity of the offense and evidence of rehabilitation.
Participants will be able to develop draft policies and procedures outlining the steps to be taken when considering criminal history in housing decisions, ensuring that these policies are consistently applied.
Participants will be able to create policies for the maintenance of accurate records of all housing decisions related to criminal history, including documentation of the reasons for any denials.

Who Should Attend

Multi-site Manager (Area, Regional).
Leasing Manager/Director.
Compliance Staff.
Community Manager/Director.
Training and HR Professionals.

Handouts & Reference Material

A PDF copy of the presentation and HUD guidance materials will be available for download.

Speaker(s)

Doug Chasick

Doug Chasick, CPM®, CAPS, Adv. RAM, SLE, That Fair Housing Guy™, is the former President of the Fair Housing Institute, Inc. With more than 46 years of investment real estate experience, he began as the Resident Manager of a 524-unit apartment property and has been the President or CEO of five real estate companies, responsible for portfolios of over 28,000 apartments. Doug was awarded his CPM® in 1979 and was a member of the IREM National Faculty for eight years. A Senior Instructor member of the NAAEI Faculty, he leads the Advanced Facilitator Training course, is the co-author of “Outstanding Facilitation Techniques”, and a co-author of the joint IREM & NAAEI “Fair Housing and Beyond” course. He is a licensed Real Estate Broker in Florida, a licensed Expert Fair Housing Instructor in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the recipient of the NAAEI Apartment Career & Education award.

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