Do you accept someone with a prior felony?

[Christina Swaby]

I have pre-qualified someone that has a previous felony that is 7-8 years old. Otherwise they meet the requirements. My bro-in-law also has a previous felony but has turned his life around and I would totally rent to him. So I am kinda open to the option. What guidelines do you use in this scenario?

[Greg Scott]

If you have 4 or more units you are subject to fair housing laws. HUD has interpreted the law liberally, providing direction that you cannot reject them solely because they have a felony.

At our properties if someone has a violent felony, we automatically reject them.  If it is a non-violent felony from many years ago, we would ignore that.  Repeated felonies would also cause us to reject a prospective resident.