SB 6291 states that residential landlords frequently use tenant screening reports in evaluating and selecting tenants for their rental properties. The costs of tenant screening are passed on to applicants in the form of screening fees that applicants pay with each application for housing, even though successive reports contain largely the same information. Applicants may make multiple applications for housing to secure a place to live, significantly increasing their financial burden.
The high and repeated cost of tenant screening reports are a barrier to housing for all applicants, especially applicants with low or fixed incomes. When an applicant can provide a prospective landlord a comprehensive tenant screening report produced within the last thirty days, this significantly reduces an applicant’s cost while also providing landlords with the information they need. Therefore, the bill declares comprehensive tenant screening reports a necessary and fair solution for both applicants and landlords.
SB 6291 requires a landlord to forego the charge to a prospective tenant for costs related to a tenant screening report if a comprehensive tenant screening report regarding the prospective tenant, (prepared within thirty days of the application date) is available to the prospective landlord.
