Are you looking for help creating a New Jersey Rental Application? Our lease application form helps you identify the best person to rent your property without infringing on the applicant’s rights.
Learn more about the important information you should collect, and use our New Jersey rental application template to screen your applicants thoroughly.
- New Jersey Rental Application Fees
- What to Include in a New Jersey Rental/Lease Application
- Authorization for Background Check
- Conduct an Evictions Record Search in New Jersey
- Rental and Housing Discrimination Statistics
- Other Landlord Resources
- How to Write a Rental Application
- Sample New Jersey Rental Application Form
New Jersey Rental Application Fees
All New Jersey property owners are required to follow New Jersey state law. A few important points include the following:
Application Fees
Landlords are allowed to charge applicants an application fee, and there is no limit to that application fee.
Even though there is no maximum limit, landlords should charge an application fee proportional to the cost of processing the application.
Security Deposits
Landlords are allowed to collect a security deposit but this security deposit cannot be more than one and one-half month’s rent.
Pet Deposits
In New Jersey, landlords can charge a non-refundable pet deposit as long as the total security deposit is not more than one and one-half month’s rent.
Rules About Holding Deposits
Landlords are also required to hold that security deposit in a bank that is properly insured. This ensures the security deposit is not lost.
What to Include in a New Jersey Rental/Lease Application
As a property owner, some of the information you should collect on a rental application includes:
Address History
Ask where the prospective tenant lives and request information on prior addresses for the past few years.
If the applicant has rented other properties in the past, you might want to ask for permission to reach out to landlords as a reference.
This will give you more information about what it is like to rent to that individual.
Number of People Living in the Home
Your property has a certain number of bedrooms and you must ensure the potential renter’s family can live in the home safely.
You can ask about the number of people living on your property, but you cannot use this as a pretext to discriminate against renters with children.
Pets and Smoking
You can also ask for basic information related to pets and smoking.
You probably don’t want tobacco smoke to damage your home, and you might not want to rent your property to someone with pets. This might be important to you if you are allergic to dogs and cats.
Authorization for Background Check
Landlords want to ensure applicants have a reliable history of paying their bills and are interested in the financial background of applicants applying to live on their property.
Smart landlords ask for authorization to conduct a background check and perform credit and background checks on tenants.
Conduct an Evictions Record Search in New Jersey
- Navigate to the New Jersey Courts civil case web page
- Accept the disclaimer
- Search for eviction records by party name
Rental and Housing Discrimination Statistics
As a property owner, you must avoid allegations of housing discrimination. In 2021, New Jersey had more than 500 allegations of housing discrimination. These can be costly complaints to deal with.
While you need to collect the right information, you must ensure you do so in a way that does not violate the rights of your applicants.
Federal and New Jersey Fair Housing Laws
Always follow the Federal Fair Housing Act and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination which prohibits discrimination in housing based on the following:
- Race, creed, color, national origin, nationality, ancestry
- Religion
- Sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation
- Disability
- Marital status
- Familial status
- Liability for military service
- Source of lawful income used for rental or mortgage payments
New Jersey’s Fair Chance in Housing Act prohibits landlords and property owners from asking about criminal history on rental applications in most instances.
The two main exceptions are whether the applicant has ever been convicted of drug-related criminal activity for the manufacture or production of methamphetamine on federally assisted housing or whether the applicant is subject to lifetime registration on a state sex offender registry.
Landlords should be aware of this law.
Other Landlord Resources
New Jersey Sex Offender Registry
If you want to ensure you do not overlook any important questions, use our New Jersey rental application template, and expedite the screening process.
How to Write a Rental Application
Follow the steps below to write a rental application in New Jersey.
Step 1 – Fill in Property Address Information
Write the date of the rental application and the address of the rental property.
Step 2 – Collect Basic Rental Applicant Information
This section is for the applicant(s) to provide basic identifying information about themselves.
Step 3 – Collect Applicant’s Residence History
In this section, the applicant(s) provides their residence history including addresses, dates of residency and reasons for moving.
Step 4 – Gather Applicant’s Employment History
This section is for the applicant(s) to provide current and previous employment information and other sources of income.
Step 5 – Gather Applicant’s Financial History
This section is for the applicant(s) to provide bank account and credit card information.
Step 6 – Collect References
The applicant(s) provides personal references’ names and contact information in this section.
Step 7 – Additional Questions and Verification
This section contains additional questions to determine more information about the applicant such as smoking or pets.
Sample New Jersey Rental Application Form
Below is an example of what a standard New Jersey rental application form looks like.
