Two bills are currently making their way through the Washington State Legislature that will change the way criminal records are handled when screening prospective tenants.
SB 6490 and HB 2878 would prevent properties from denying applicants based solely on Criminal Convictions.
If these bills are enacted, it would require Individualized Assessments of any applicant with a criminal history, if the criminal record was the reason for denial of the application.
Both bills are very similar, and while it is early in the process, we are monitoring the progress of these bills that could significantly impact Landlords in the State of Washington. We’ll update our affected clients as we learn more.