Providing that under rental agreements governed by the residential landlord tenant act, a landlord is required to count certain income when considering a tenant or prospective tenant's qualifications for housing, providing for the sealing and expungement of court records in eviction actions related to such rental agreements and requiring mediation in such eviction cases unless the court finds that mediation would not aid the parties materially.

SB 485 requires landlords to count all lawful income (including government assistance, gifts, or pensions) when screening tenants, not just wages. It automatically seals eviction court records after filing and expunges them from public records after two years if the judgment is paid, with exceptions for ongoing cases or safety concerns. The bill also mandates mediation in eviction cases unless a court determines it wouldn’t help, and violations are treated as deceptive practices under Kansas consumer law. These changes directly affect tenants applying for housing and landlords managing rental agreements under Kansas’ Residential Landlord Tenant Act.