An Ohio Rental Application is a form used by Ohio 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 Ohio rental application allows a landlord to check rental, credit, and employment history and screen for any red flags like criminal history (via a background check).
State Law
Below you can find important information for both landlords and tenants in Ohio. Learn about screening recommendations, rental application fees, security deposits, complaint filing timeframes, Fair Housing Act protection, and tenant screening criteria following FCRA regulations.
For Landlords
Screening
The Ohio Attorney General lays out recommendations for Ohio landlords 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 rental 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 rental application.
For Tenants
Rental Application Fee
Ohio landlords are not required to return rental application fees; therefore, applicants should consider rental application fees non-refundable.
Other fees may be involved in processing a rental application in Ohio, 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 rental application fee, they do not specify any maximum amount for rental security deposits.
Timeframe to File Complaint
To file a timely Ohio rental complaint, a charge of housing-related discrimination must be filed within one year after the act of discrimination was committed, as per Ohio Admin—code § 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 rental 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
Use the sample rental application form below to understand better what a typical rental application looks like or to screen prospective tenants.
