A Vermont rental application is helpful for property management companies, property owners, and landlords. The information you collect from a rental application helps you review prospective tenants’ backgrounds to verify they can pay rent regularly.
Laws
- Application Fee – Not permitted.
- Fee Limits – N/A.
- Security Deposit – No limit to what landlords can charge for security deposits.
Application Fee
- Not Permitted: Vermont landlords are not allowed to charge an application fee. [1]
- Who Pays for a Credit Check: A landlord may charge a tenant for the actual cost of a credit check, but they can’t call it an application fee.
Fair Housing Protections
Vermont state law prohibits landlords from refusing to rent property based on the following factors: color, race, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, disability, national origin, marital status, age, religion, public assistance status, presence of minor children, and status as a victim of abuse, stalking, or sexual assault. [2]
Additionally, state law bans the following behaviors toward prospective tenants based on the aforementioned factors:
- Discriminating against or harassing any person in the protections, privileges, conditions, and terms of a rental.
- Making, printing, or publishing advertisements, statements, or notices for a rental that allude to limitations or preferences.
- Representing that a unit is unavailable to rent when it is available.
Furthermore, a landlord may not disclose a tenant’s status as an abuse victim for ill purposes. A landlord must also allow reasonable modifications so that a person with a disability can have full enjoyment of the property. The landlord may require the tenant to revert the property to its former condition after the tenant moves out.
Exceptions
These provisions don’t apply to housing intended for seniors or housing operating under specific state or federal programs.
Security Deposit Limits
- Security Deposit: There is no limit on the amount of security deposit the landlord can charge a tenant. This deposit can cover nonpayment of rent, unpaid utility charges, and potential damage caused to the property other than normal wear and tear.
- Handling: A city can adopt its own ordinance governing security deposits. The ordinance can’t limit how the landlord holds the security deposit, but it may authorize the payment of interest on a deposit. [6]
- Return: The landlord has 14 days from when the tenant vacates the property to return the security deposit. [6]
Pet Deposits
There’s no limit on pet deposits in Vermont. Some city-specific pet deposit limits exist, including the limit of one-half of the normal security deposit in Burlington and Brattleboro.
Sample
