New Jersey’s Fair Chance Housing Act (“Act”) (effective January 1, 2022) bans landlords from asking about an applicant’s criminal history on an application or in an interview prior to making the applicant a conditional offer of housing. It also prohibits them from stating in any housing advertisements that they will not consider applicants with a criminal record.

The state recently issued 30 notices of violation to housing providers for allegedly violating the Act by asking prohibited questions on housing applications and posting housing advertisements and/or maintaining policies that do not comply with the law. Recipients face civil penalties of up to $1,000 for a first offense, up to $5,000 for a second offense, and up to $10,000 for any subsequent offense.

New Jersey landlords should ensure all housing applications and advertisements comply with the state’s Fair Chance Housing Act prior to posting any vacancies.

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Have any questions? Hire Image can help. Contact us if you have any concerns about how these types of laws impact your own background screening practices.