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Commissioners flag enforcement gaps in Ann Arbor’s fair‑chance housing ordinance
Summary
Commissioners reviewed a community re‑entry event and raised concerns that landlords continue to run background checks or use automated screening despite a city 'no‑ask' ordinance; they urged proactive outreach to housing providers and inclusion of the policy in re‑entry programming.
Members of the Ann Arbor Human Rights Commission reported back from a community re‑entry event and expressed concern that the city’s fair‑chance housing ordinance is not reaching housing providers.
Speakers said the ordinance prohibits landlords from asking applicants to disclose criminal history and requires the city to provide a notice for landlords and applicants, but several housing providers and re‑entry counselors told commissioners they were unaware of the requirement. Commissioners said some larger property managers still run background or credit checks and that AI‑based screening vendors may deny applicants automatically. One commissioner urged a proactive effort to send the required notice to all rental providers and to include the ordinance in re‑entry orientation for people leaving incarceration.
The commission directed staff to verify whether the city distributed the required notices, to coordinate targeted outreach to landlords and re‑entry service providers, and to consider enforcement and education steps.
