The Global Background Check Blog

Effective October 1, 2026, Maryland fair housing law expressly prohibits housing practices with a discriminatory effect—even when there was no intent to discriminate. The change matters for Maryland tenant screening compliance because it can affect how landlords and property managers use criminal-history, eviction, credit, income, and score-based rental criteria. This is a separate law from the Maryland Fair Chance Housing Act: Tenant Screening Rules for 2026, which addresse

Maryland’s Fair Chance Housing Act took effect October 1, 2026. The law changes when covered housing providers may obtain and use a prospective tenant’s criminal-history information. For most covered landlords, criminal history can no longer be part of the initial rental-application process. Instead, the landlord generally must evaluate other qualifications first, make a conditional offer of housing, and then follow Maryland’s new review and notice requirements before withdra

A recent EEOC settlement is an important reminder that an employer’s hiring standards cannot screen out qualified applicants with disabilities unless the standards are legally supportable. On September 2, 2026, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced that Damar Services, an Indianapolis residential-services provider, agreed to pay $65,000 and make policy changes to resolve a disability-discrimination lawsuit. The EEOC alleged that the company used qualifica

Effective December 10, 2026, certain Australian organizations must disclose qualifying automated decisions in their privacy policies. The rule applies when a computer program uses an individual’s personal information to make, or materially help make, a decision that could significantly affect that person’s rights or interests. For employers and background screening providers, the key point is simple: This is not a new criminal background check requirement and it does not appl

Delaware private schools and youth camps directly operated by private schools must now use the State’s required fingerprint-based background-check process for covered employees, contractors, and volunteers. The change took effect July 1, 2026, and covered child-serving entities and private schools were required to comply by September 1, 2026. It removed the former option for private schools and youth camps to use a name-based Delaware check with a private third-party out-of-s

Background checks serve an important purpose. Employers need to protect their employees, customers, patients, clients, property and organizations. But I believe the person being screened deserves protection too. That belief is one of the reasons I helped build Global Background Screening. I've spent over 2 decades in the background screening industry, and one thing has always bothered me: The idea that a "better" background check is simply the one that returns the most inform

San Francisco expanded its Fair Chance Ordinance (FCO) effective August 10, 2026. This change impacts employers and affordable housing providers that consider criminal-history information in their hiring or housing decisions. The amendment—San Francisco Ordinance No. 128-26—introduces new protections for certain out-of-state arrests and convictions. It also increases potential administrative penalties and available liquidated damages for violations. This isn't a blanket rule