Major Property Management Company to Review and Revise Tenant Screening Policies Statewide After Fair Housing Complaint

SACRAMENTO – The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) today announced reaching a fair housing settlement with Greystar California, Inc., which manages approximately 333 multi-family apartment complexes across California. The settlement comes after a prospective tenant filed a civil rights complaint with CRD alleging that their rental application was unlawfully rejected because of an unrelated misdemeanor. The settlement requires the property management company to review and revise its tenant screening policies as necessary to prohibit any automatic rejections on renting to people across California because of past criminal offenses.

“It’s difficult to participate in the life of our society without a place to call home,” said CRD Director Kevin Kish. “When prospective tenants are rejected for irrelevant or old offenses, we’re depriving them of a fair chance to be a part of their communities. Public safety starts with people having stability in their lives. This settlement will help give tenants all across California a meaningful chance at stability.”

Application Allegedly Denied

In 2025, CRD received a complaint against Greystar California alleging that a prospective tenant’s rental application at a luxury apartment complex in Hollywood was unlawfully denied. The 369-unit apartment building was managed by Greystar California at the time and previously known as Rise Hollywood. According to the complaint, the prospective tenant submitted an application and was denied the same day based in part on their criminal history. When the applicant objected to the denial, staff at the property allegedly declined to give the prospective tenant an opportunity to provide any information explaining the nature of the offense and failed to justify the denial with a connection between the conviction and the applicant’s ability to pay rent or otherwise be a suitable tenant.

Under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act and its related regulations, housing providers cannot automatically decline to rent to people who have previously been involved in the criminal legal system. Such bans may disproportionately impact prospective Black and Latino tenants, perpetuate historical housing segregation patterns, and serve as a pretextual cover for intentional discrimination. Under regulations that implement California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act, housing providers should not consider convictions that are not directly related to tenancy. In addition, any consideration of a conviction must be individualized, based on the nature and severity of the underlying offense, as well as the amount of time that has passed.

Settlement Requires Corrective Action

After conducting an initial investigation, CRD provided the applicant and the property management company an opportunity to voluntarily resolve the allegations through mediation and reached a settlement. As a result of the settlement, Greystar California, without admitting liability, will:

• Conduct a review of its tenant screening policies and revise them as necessary to ensure statewide compliance with California’s fair housing laws.
• Provide notice of California’s protections in housing related to criminal history to all employees and staff members involved in leasing at dozens of properties across Los Angeles County.
• Ensure specified staff in Southern California complete at least three hours of fair housing training, including on state laws related to screening prospective tenants.
• Pay $10,000 in compensation to the individual applicant who filed the complaint.

If you or someone you know has experienced housing discrimination, CRD may be able to assist you through its complaint process. The department also provides general information and factsheets online about civil rights protections, including on fair housing and criminal history.

The settlement announced today was mediated by Attorney Mediator Rebecca Schonberg.

You can learn more by reading a copy of the settlement.

The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) is the state agency charged with enforcing California’s civil rights laws. CRD’s mission is to protect the people of California from unlawful discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and state-funded programs and activities, and from hate violence and human trafficking. For more information, visit calcivilrights.ca.gov.

View Press Release (PDF) Major Property Management Company to Review and Revise Tenant Screening Policies Statewide After Fair Housing Complaint