USDA Issues Memo to Clarify Tenant Screening, Admission Requirements, and Best Practices in Rural Multifamily Housing

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Service (USDA RHS) has published a new memo for multifamily housing providers under its supervision to clarify and review best practices relating to admission – or denial of admission – of prospective tenants.

The memo discusses the ubiquitous use of tenant screening reports and how these reports may contain inaccurate information leading to the unjustified denial of housing to prospective residents. The memo is intended to remind RHS multifamily owners of the relevant legal requirements for disclosure when denying admission to a prospective resident and outlines best practices for using tenant screening services, for disclosing the contents of a tenant screening report to the tenant, and for retaining records when using a tenant screening report as a basis for denial of admission.

Read the full memo on “Program Requirements and best practices regarding denial of admission in USDA Multifamily Housing (MFH) administered programs” here.

Contact: Annalyse Komoroske Denio, akomoroskedenio@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8866