California Rental Application Form

A California rental application is a document used by landlords and property management companies to screen and vet prospective tenants to determine whether they are reliable and able to pay rent on time.

Laws

• Application Fee – Non-refundable.
• Fee Limits – Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.6 – Initially, landlords could charge up to $30. The amount is indexed yearly and should be less than the landlord’s out-of-pocket cost of gathering tenant information.
• Security Deposit – Maximum payment equal to two months’ rent for unfurnished properties and three months’ rent for furnished properties.

Application Fee

• As of December 2023, the maximum screening fee a landlord or property manager can charge for processing a rental application is $62.02. [1]
• The maximum screening fee is based on the Consumer Price Index and adjusted annually for inflation.
• The landlord may not charge a fee when they know or should know there is no vacancy or will be no vacancy within a reasonable time.
• However, they may charge a fee to each prospective tenant applying to live in the rental property.
• Landlords and property managers must provide tenants with an itemized receipt showing the screening fee and other costs incurred to process a rental application. [2]

Fair Housing Protections

• The Federal Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) prohibits landlords from discriminating against tenants based on familial status, disability, nationality, race, religion, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
• Discrimination includes refusing to engage in real estate transactions, altering terms or conditions, making discriminatory inquiries, or misrepresenting property availability. [3]
• With the applicant’s consent, landlords may inquire about credit history, sex offender status, criminal or eviction history, proof of income, or employer information.

Security Deposit Limits

• California law sets limits on the amount of money that landlords can charge for security deposits.
• Depending on whether the property is furnished or not, the deposit is capped at a max. of three months’ rent. [4]

Pet Deposits

While pet deposits are a common element of the security deposit, in California, there aren’t any state-specific laws governing pet deposits.

Sample

Related Documents

California Lease Agreement

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1. California Apartment Association. https://caanet.org/kb/max-screening-fee/
2. Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.6(d). https://casetext.com/statute/california-codes/california-civil-code/division-3-obligations/part-4-obligations-arising-from-particular-transactions/title-5-hiring/chapter-2-hiring-of-real-property/section-19506-application-screening-fee
3. Cal. Gov. Code § 12955. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=GOV&division=3.&title=2.&part=2.8.&chapter=6.&article=2.
4. Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(c) . https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=1950.5.&lawCode=CIV

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