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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">Team:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">Thought the attached Guidance Memo issued this week by HUD General Counsel would be of interest to you. I believe most practitioners already advise clients with approval
rights to focus rejections based on criminal background checks to recent convictions/arrests or those involving theft or violence, which would be in keeping with the General Counsel’s conclusion reprinted below:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">The Fair Housing Act prohibits both intentional housing discrimination and housing practices that have an unjustified discriminatory effect because of race, national origin or other protected characteristics. Because
of widespread racial and ethnic disparities in the U.S. criminal justice system, criminal history-based restrictions on access to housing are likely disproportionately to burden African Americans and Hispanics. While the Act does not prohibit housing providers
from appropriately considering criminal history information when making housing decisions, arbitrary and overbroad criminal history-related bans are likely to lack a legally sufficient justification. Thus, a discriminatory effect resulting from a policy or
practice that denies housing to anyone with a prior arrest or any kind of criminal conviction cannot be justified, and therefore such a practice would violate the Fair Housing Act.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">Selective use of criminal history as a pretext for unequal treatment of individuals based on race, national origin, or other protected characteristics violates the Act.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">Best regards,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#1F4E79"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#1F4E79">Carlos R. Arias<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black"><img width="220" height="38" id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image001.png@01D18F57.D1864760" alt="Arias Bosinger Logo"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D">140 N. Westmonte Dr., Ste. 203<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D">Altamonte Springs, Florida 32714<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D">Tel: 407.636.2549<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D">Fax: 321.280.2489<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#1F497D"><a href="http://www.ablawfl.com/"><span style="color:#0563C1">www.ABLawFL.com</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<b><span style="color:#1F4E79">In compliance with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, this law firm is a debt collector and may be attempting to collect a debt. Any information provided will be used for that purpose.
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#1F4E79">The information contained in this e-mail (including any attachments) message is attorney privileged and confidential information intended only for the use of the individual(s) named
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by reply E-mail and destroy all copies of the original message. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#1F4E79">DISCLAIMER REGARDING UNIFORM ELECTRONIC TRANSACTIONS ACT ("UETA") (FLORIDA STATUTES SECTION 668.50): If this communication concerns negotiation of a contract or agreement, UETA
does not apply to this communication. Contract formation in this matter shall occur only with manually affixed original signatures on original documents.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#1F4E79">This e-mail and any attachment(s) are believed to be free from virus. However, it is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that they are virus free. We do not accept any
liability for any loss or damage arising in any way from the receipt, opening or use of this e-mail and any attachment(s).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:8.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#1F4E79">******************************************************************************<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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