Is it safe to rent to people with criminal records?

By Tenant

I have served my time and I would like to start a new life. I got a job in a department store and am currently living with my mother. I want to live on my own and would like to rent. However, it seems that landlords do not like people with records to rent their properties. Is this legal? I mean, it wasn’t like I raped or killed someone. I got convicted because of several traffic violations.

I felt very stressed out because of this. It’s like the punishment didn’t end in jail. Luckily, I found RPA and because I felt so unjustly treated, I filed for a complaint. I knew the landlord didn’t checks on criminal records and that’s actually the reason why I chose him. So why would he deny me? The issue ended when RPA came in. I finally got to rent!

So I’m sharing my experience with you.

According to lenders, the main reasons for conviction that would make them think twice about renting to offenders are the following:

• Rape or sexual harassment – no lender would want to risk the safety of his renters. Think of it, even if you are allowed to rent, your life would likely be hellish because your neighbors will not talk to you and they will feel very uncomfortable having a man convicted of a sexual crime living nearby. There is also a very high possibility that your other renters would not renew.
• Theft – your property and the property of your tenants should be protected and having a convicted felon around is NOT safe.
• Scam/Fraud – you are running a business and you cannot afford to have a scammer or a person previously convicted of fraud. If you do, you are risking the security of getting rent promptly each month.
• Murder or any other violent crimes – this is very, very risky. You wouldn’t want to see someone dead in your property and you definitely don’t want to find out that it’s one of your renters.

Statistics show that about 66% of those who have been previously convicted go back to their erroneous ways. Even if they don’t, they have peers from the prison who might visit them and create different problems for the landlord. I’m telling you now, this statistics is wrong or it could be that I don’t belong to that 66%. I am a better person.

If  landlords say they will be protecting the community and their business if they refuse to rent to people with criminal records, then I would say that I am no threat to the community that they are protecting.

I say it’s  unfair but that it works much like bad credit history that gets accessed every time you apply for something that requires money. Some landlords may give me a chance if they see that I’m really sincere about starting over. I may need to prove that I’ve really changed though. Maybe a longer and more stable employment will be needed or I may need testimonials from my co-workers of my good behavior. Sometimes, a year lease may not be granted and it’ll only be a month-to-month renewal. If that’s the case, I’m okay with that.

If you feel unjustly treated, file a complaint. Here is the link I used: http://www.rentalprotectionagency.com/complaint_center.php

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