An Ohio Rental Application is a form used by landlords and property managers to screen and vet potential tenants to determine whether they are reliable and able to pay rent on time for a specified rental property.
A standard application allows a landlord to check rental, credit, and employment history and screen for red flags like criminal history (via a background check).
Laws
- Application Fee – Non-refundable
- Fee Limits – No limits
- Security Deposit – § 5321.16(a) – No statutory limit, but landlords must pay 5% annual interest on deposits over $50 or one month’s rent if the tenant stays for over six months.
State Law
For Landlords
Screening
The Ohio Attorney General lays out recommendations when screening tenants for a rental property and processing rental applications:
- Prepare written, objective rental policies detailing the criteria for approval
- Train all assistants on relevant rental policies and fair housing laws
- Keep applications up-to-date and relevant to objective rental criteria
- Keep records
Eviction
A landlord may search for eviction proceedings commenced against a tenant up to seven years before the application.
For Tenants
Application Fee
Landlords are not required to return fees; therefore, applicants should consider them non-refundable.
Other fees may be involved in processing a rental application, but security deposits are not one of them. A security deposit is not a fee but a deposit a landlord collects, usually upon signing a lease agreement.
This deposit covers damages tenants may do to the rental property.
Just like Ohio statutes do not mention the maximum amount for a fee, they do not specify any maximum amount for rental security deposits.
Timeframe to File Complaint
To file a timely rental complaint, a charge of housing-related discrimination must be filed within one year after the act of discrimination was committed, as per § 4112-3-01.
Investigation Procedure
As per § 4112-6-01, after filing a discriminatory housing practice charge, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission has thirty days to begin the investigation.
If you are an international student looking to rent or a person without a social security number, don’t sweat!
Nonresident aliens (those legally in the US not intending to settle permanently) may use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) issued by the IRS as an alternate form of identification on applications.
Landlords should remember that it is illegal under the Fair Housing Act to refuse to rent to persons without a social security number.
Authorization for Background Check
Landlords should conduct a background check on their applicants to ensure they know their criminal history and whether they are on any registries. We offer a background check authorization form you can use to obtain consent from the applicants to conduct a credit and criminal history search.
Sample
