Do you own property in North Dakota? If so, you must carefully consider to who you want to offer a lease agreement.
You want to use a comprehensive North Dakota Rental Application form that will collect each applicant’s financial history, employment history, and rental history.
On the other hand, you must ensure you follow North Dakota state law and not violate the rights of your prospective tenants.
Use our sample North Dakota rental application template to ensure you ask the right questions.
- Laws on North Dakota Application Fees and Security Deposits
- What North Dakota Landlords Should Know
- Background Check Authorization
- How to Conduct an Evictions Record Search
- Other Resources for Landlords
- North Dakota Housing Statistics and Specifics
- How To Write a Rental Application
- Sample North Dakota Rental Application Form
Laws on North Dakota Application Fees and Security Deposits
Everyone should know several specific points regarding North Dakota state law governing application fees and security deposits.
Some of the key points to keep in mind are:
- Rental Application Fees: In North Dakota, there is no limit to the application fee amount that a landlord can charge a tenant for processing an application. The fee should be reasonable and comparable to the costs of processing the application and conducting background checks.
- Security and Deposit: Per North Dakota law, a landlord cannot charge more than one month’s rent for a security deposit. The landlord can charge up to two months’ rent if the applicant has been convicted of a felony offense.
- Pet Deposit: North Dakota landlords can charge a pet security deposit of up to $2,500 or two months’ rent. The exception is that if the pet is a service animal required by the tenant, fair housing laws prohibit charging a pet deposit.
What North Dakota Landlords Should Know
Every landlord and property owner in North Dakota must follow the Federal Fair Housing Act and North Dakota fair housing laws.
This means that they cannot ask applicants about the following:
- Their race, color, or national origin
- Their religious beliefs
- Information about their age
- Whether they are married or have children (familial status)
- Whether they have a physical or mental disability
- Their gender identity or sexual orientation
- Whether they will require public rental assistance
- Whether they have been a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking
Landlords in North Dakota are allowed to ask the age of their applicants only if the property is an age-specific community, such as a senior living community.
They can also ask about religious beliefs only if a religious group owns the property.
Background Check Authorization
Landlords should conduct a background check on each applicant. But, property owners must get written consent from the potential renters before running this check per the Federal Credit Reporting Act.
We offer a background check authorization form landlords can use to conduct a credit and criminal history search.
Landlords should consider providing the applicant with a copy of his or her background check report.
How to Conduct an Evictions Record Search
- Navigate to the State of North Dakota Courts, District Court Case Search website
- Proceed to the North Dakota Courts Records Inquiry page
- Select a district or county and choose Civil, Family & Probate Case Records
- Enter the applicant’s name
- Select “Forcible Detainer” as the case type for evictions
If you decide not to offer a lease agreement to an applicant based on the results of a background check or eviction records search, send a rental application rejection letter explaining the reasons why.
Other Resources for Landlords
North Dakota Housing Statistics and Specifics
Housing discrimination takes place in North Dakota.
According to one local group, the High Plains Fair Housing Center receives more than 500 complaints annually throughout North Dakota.
There are different types of discrimination and you must ensure that you provide each applicant with a fair opportunity to show why he or she should be allowed to rent your property.
How To Write a Rental Application
When you write your North Dakota rental application, there are several important steps you need to complete.
They include:
- Mention the address of your property at the top of the document.
- Ask each resident his or her basic identifying information.
- Collect an address history from each applicant.
- Ask each applicant for a few character references, preferably from prior landlords.
- Get consent from each applicant to run a credit check and a background check.
- Ask if the applicant smokes or has pets. This could be important for your property.
Sample North Dakota Rental Application Form
If you have a property in North Dakota that you want to rent out, there is a lot of information to collect.
Use our sample North Dakota rental application form and template to ensure you ask the right questions.