Renters Continue to Be Punished After Time-Served

Your neighbors could be violent or dangerous without a criminal record. You’ll never really know.

If a person with a criminal conviction can't get a job or apartment, they have to turn back to crime to survive.. Genius

If people can't get a job or place to live when they get out of jail, it seems like perpetual punishment for any crime. There is no chance for rehabilitation, there's no chance to do anything else after being in jail. That's assuming it is right. The stark reality is that most people in jail are there for drug crimes, many for weed which is now legal in NY.

I really dislike how this is framed. Like someone who committed grand theft or sold drugs 20 years ago are in the same bracket as someone who committed murder. And yet, the state considers all these to be felonies. Clearly we need a separate category for people who by life choices stated they are forever enemies of society.

I'm all for the rights of tenants, but it is very understandable to not want to live next to people who have committed violent crimes.

A criminal record should not bar anyone from housing. There are plenty of criminals who aren't on record.

I would not see the point in continuously punishing somebody who has done their time in jail. What’s the point of jail then

The main problem with the landlords' logic is that these problems can happen even if the person hasn't been convicted of a crime. Landlord protection should be about being able to evict if there is proof the person is damaging the property in a way that puts themselves or others in Danger. Some of these problems are able to be tackled with alternative means not just background checks that don't give enough information. Also, How is someone supposed to rebuild their lives if the only place they can move to is one where opportunity doesn't exist? More importantly, what are we doing to help prevent violent crime? It's rare to have crime show up out of nowhere. Lots of Crime is a symptom of a larger problem. The safest countries in the world have robust social programs to ensure the population doesn't need to go to crime. When people are happy and secure, they don't need to do illegal things because the easiest ways to get the necessities are legal.

Perfect example of why laws should not be written by extreme partisans on the left or right. Big difference between someone who committed larceny in the 20’s without recidivism and a rapist,murderer,sexoffender. Details in legislation matter.

I stopped being a landlord in Portland, OR in 2022 and one of the best financial decisions I've ever made

She hinted she had bad credit or at least needed to improve her credit score. How does she know it was denied due to criminal history

If I were to ever rent my house out, I would want to know if someone I’m entrusting my house to has a history of arson, violence etc.. I had to work very hard for my house why wouldn’t I have that right?

I don't want to make this about race but it's not just people of color This is an issue that affects every person with a criminal background

Last I checked, Landlords are not part of the department of Justice. If the tenant is violent or destructive - that is a police issue. If the person is a former offender, that is a matter for the department of corrections. Should a person have severed their time, it is not up to a building owner to add additional penalties. I'm pretty sure that parole boards are more qualified than apartment superintendents to decide on if someone has put their crimes behind them.

How exactly do landlords “provide housing“? Some of these people look like they should be buying and not renting meaning they’re just paying more to fill the landlord’s pocket.

McKinsey & company enters that chat on this one. How to get every penny out of poor people.

The solution should be quick evictions. If the tenant causes problems evict within a month. Easy evictions make taking risks on people easier.

As a renter who has had some very unpleasant problems with other tennants I'm all for criminal background checks. And no I don't want to live in a building with murderers, armed robbers, ect.

Surely they can make the laws distinguish between different crimes. Obviously there's a difference between renting to a convicted child molester and someone who was convicted of a drug charge 20 years ago when he was in high school.

If a criminal has paid their debt, it should no longer be held against them. Full stop. Not even on any record at all. Nothing to follow you. I say this because when I was 16 I was talked into pleading guilty for a drug possession. For YEARS after that, I couldn't find work. The system waited until I was an adult to put that on my record. I still struggle and have to caveat everything with "oh, hey, I have an old charge from over 10 years ago that may come up." It's ridiculous! I paid my dues - if you have done your part to make up for your mistakes, be done with it. Allow us to move on. Stop keeping records, especially if the time served is over. I'd understand if someone is still on probation or house arrest, but for everyone else they need their slate cleaned. Things have got to change!