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Private landlords cannot implement blanket bans on would-be renters with an arrest or criminal record. If so, they are in violation of the Fair Housing Act and can face penalties or a lawsuit for discrimination, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

HUD Secretary Julián Castro issued guidance on Monday, April 4, 2016, about how fair housing laws apply to those with criminal records. While the group is not explicitly protected by the Fair Housing Act, there are certain circumstances that landlords must follow when screening possible tenants.

When an applicant has a conviction, property owners must prove that the exclusion is justified, HUD notes. HUD’s guidance reads: "Policies that exclude persons based on criminal history must be tailored to serve the housing provider’s substantial, legitimate, nondiscriminatory interest and take into consideration such factors as the type of the crime and the length of the time since conviction."

"Right now, many housing providers use the fact of a conviction, any conviction, regardless of what it was for or how long ago it happened, to indefinitely bar folks from housing opportunities," Castro said in a statement. "Many people who are coming back to neighborhoods are only looking for a fair chance to be productive members, but blanket policies like this unfairly deny them that chance."

The guidance emphasizes to landlords that "blanket bans" are illegal. HUD says that landlords may need to revise their screening policies in light of the new guidance.

Source: "Federal Housing Officials Warn Against Blanket Bans of Ex-Offenders," The New York Times

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(LOS ANGELES, April 4, 2016) – How does a barista, some oysters, and a server’s cousin lead to entrepreneurship? Well, it’s a long story and the premise for the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ 2016 consumer ad campaign which launches today in four California markets.

Now in its second year, the commercials continue the long-running "Ripple" theme, which illustrates the value REALTORS® provide not only to home buyers and sellers, but also the community at large. Specifically, the campaign connects the dots between REALTORS® and local businesses.

C.A.R. is continuing its partnership with the NBC Owned Television Stations division of NBCUniversal and the commercials will air exclusively on the NBC Owned Television Stations in the San Francisco (KNTV), Los Angeles (KNBC) and San Diego markets (KNSD), on the NBC affiliate in the Sacramento market (KCRA) and local cable affiliate inventory to air on Bravo.

Additionally, C.A.R. and the NBC Owned Television Stations will produce a series of vignettes with television host, author, and REALTOR® Egypt Sherrod. Sherrod is best known as the host of HGTV’s "Property Virgins," which guides first-time home buyers through the ins and outs of home buying. The series will focus on the home buying process from start to finish and show consumers how a REALTOR® can help every step of the way.

The campaign also will include commercial extensions on the home and lifestyle cable network HGTV.

Consumers also will hear similar spots created for radio via C.A.R.’s partnership with iHeartRadio and the creation of "drive-time roadblocks." Through purchasing simultaneous airtime on multiple radio stations each Friday for 14 weeks, C.A.R. is ensuring that consumers will hear about the benefits of working with a REALTOR®, even by station-surfing drivers.

The campaign was created by indie Philadelphia-based agency, Red Tettemer O’Connell + Partners. Demonstrating the success of C.A.R.’s past consumer ad campaigns, a post-test survey of consumers conducted following the 2015 campaign found that the ads continue to build awareness and help consumers understand the importance of working with a REALTOR®. Additionally, buyers and sellers have an increasing appreciation of the work REALTORS® must do to help close real estate transactions.

For complete information about C.A.R.’s 2016 consumer advertising campaign, visit http://ift.tt/1CCSt9S or visit the consumer ad site, which is rich with content and resources related to the home-buying and selling processes (http://ift.tt/10Ao1gB).

Follow us on Twitter @CAR_Media and @CAREALTORS

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Leading the way in California real estate for more than 100 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (www.car.org) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States, with more than 165,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles.

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WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today kicked off Fair Housing Month 2016 with the launch of a new national media campaign that helps the public to envision what communities with shared opportunity for all might look like.

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WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published a final rule that provides new religious liberty protections for beneficiaries of its programs and activities.

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