The Kansas Fair Chance Housing and Homelessness Reduction Act aims to protect consumers from adverse actions related to their rental history by establishing specific guidelines for consumer reporting agencies and landlords. Under the new provisions, consumer reporting agencies are prohibited from including adverse residential or tenant history in consumer reports unless they have contacted the consumer to provide an opportunity for explanation. Additionally, landlords are restricted from considering any eviction or rental arrears that are more than three years old when making decisions about rental agreements. If a landlord takes adverse action against a tenant, they must provide the consumer with any relevant consumer report or residential history that influenced their decision.

The bill also introduces definitions for key terms such as "adverse action," "consumer report," and "landlord," and outlines the responsibilities of consumer reporting agencies in terms of communication with consumers. Violations of these provisions by landlords or consumer reporting agencies are classified as deceptive acts under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, which allows for enforcement actions. The bill amends existing laws to ensure that consumers are treated fairly in housing transactions and that their rental histories do not unfairly disadvantage them in securing housing.

Statutes affected:
As introduced: 50-626