A Montana rental application is a valuable tool to help you gather essential information and ask the necessary questions while considering potential tenants for your property. Thoroughly screening applicants is crucial to finding reliable and trustworthy tenants for your lease agreement.
Laws
- Application Fee –Non-refundable
- Application Fee Limits – No limits
- Security Deposit – No limit on the amount that landlords can demand (no statute).
State Laws
Below is vital information about renting in Montana, including details on application fees, security deposits, pet deposits, and the information to collect with your Montana Rental Application.
Application Fees
The Montana Landlord and Tenant Act has no limit on the application fee that a landlord can charge. However, landlords should charge a reasonable application fee approximate to the cost of processing the rental application [1] .
Security Deposits – Montana landlords are allowed to charge a security deposit. The state law does not set a maximum security deposit that a landlord can require of a tenant, but the average amount is typically one to two months’ rent [1] .
Pet Deposits – Pet deposits are subject to the same rules and regulations as security deposits in Montana and must be refundable unless deductions are taken.
Other Landlord Resources
A thorough rental application process ensures you select responsible and reliable tenants, minimizing the chances of payment issues or the need for an eviction notice later on.
Here are other resources landlords should be aware of:
- Montana Fair Housing Laws prohibit housing discrimination based on sex, marital status, race, creed, religion, color, age, familial status, physical or mental disability, or national origin.
- Montana Sex Offender Registry – While landlords aren’t required to check for sex offenders, they must protect residents from risks. If they consider sex offenders a potential risk, they may reject current offenders. Nevertheless, it’s essential to note that sex offenders have housing rights, and being listed in the sex offender registry cannot be a basis for denying them housing.
While you should collect the necessary information on your rental application, you must ensure you do not discriminate against any potential applicants. The US Department of Justice recently announced they settled a lawsuit with Montana developers because they did not ensure their properties were accessible to people with disabilities.
Sample
Below is a Montana rental application form in PDF & Word format:
