STATE OF NEW JERSEY
218th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2018 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman ANNETTE QUIJANO
District 20 (Union)
SYNOPSIS
Prohibits discrimination against prospective tenant based on information in credit report.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act prohibiting financial discrimination against tenants and amending P.L.2002, c.82.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 6 of P.L.2002, c.82 (C.10:5-8.1) is amended to read as follows:
6. a. The Attorney General shall prepare a statement notifying landlords that the "Law Against Discrimination," P.L.1945, c.169 (C.10:5-1et seq.), as amended by P.L.2002, c.82, prohibits discrimination against: (1) tenants based on the source of income being used for rental or mortgage payments, and (2) prospective tenants through the refusal of a landlord to rent a unit of housing because of negative information contained in a prospective tenant’s credit report from a consumer reporting agency described in section 603(p) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Pub.L.91-508 (15 U.S.C.s.1681a(p)). The notification shall advise landlords that notwithstanding a negative credit report, a prospective tenant shall be deemed financially able to make rent payments when the prospective tenant provides documentation to the landlord verifying that the prospective tenant’s income is sufficient to enable them to afford the monthly rent charged by the landlord on the rental unit.
In addition, the notification shall include instructions for those wishing to report such discrimination to the Division on Civil Rights.
b. Each agency or entity authorized to issue federal rental assistance vouchers to eligible tenants shall include a copy of the notification required pursuant to subsection a. of this section when issuing such a voucher.
(cf: P.L.2002, c.82, s.6)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Attorney General to include additional information in the notification to landlords, required in the “Law Against Discrimination” (LAD), that the LAD prohibits discrimination against tenants based on the source of income being used for rental or mortgage payments.
This bill would require that notice to also advise landlords that the LAD prohibits them from refusing to rent a unit of housing to a prospective tenant because of negative information contained in the prospective tenant’s credit report from a consumer reporting agency described in section 603(p) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Pub.L.91-508 (15 U.S.C.s.1681a(p)).
The notification must advise landlords that notwithstanding a negative credit report, a prospective tenant shall be deemed financially able to make rent payments when the prospective tenant provides documentation to the landlord verifying that the prospective tenant’s income is sufficient to enable them to afford the monthly rent charged by the landlord on the rental unit.