A Washington, D.C. rental application allows landlords to assess potential tenants before granting a lease agreement. According to state regulations, landlords are prohibited from requesting information about an applicant’s criminal history. Additionally, before accepting an applicant, the eligibility criteria upon which approval decisions will be based must be furnished.
Laws
- Application Fee – Either mandatory or optional, refundable or non-refundable.
- Fee Limits – $50.
- Security Deposit – Must not exceed an amount equivalent to the first full month’s rent. The landlord is only allowed to charge this deposit once to the tenant.
Application Fee
- Before requesting any fee or deposit from a prospective tenant, you must first disclose the purpose and amount of each fee or deposit. [1]
- You must also specify whether each fee or deposit is required or optional and whether it is refundable or non-refundable.
Fair Housing Protections
- It is unlawful to interrupt or terminate, or refuse to initiate or conduct any real property transaction based on discriminatory reasons related to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, familial status, family responsibilities, disability, matriculation, political affiliation, source of income, status as a victim of an intrafamily offense, or place of residence or business. [2]
- Landlords are required to disclose their eligibility criteria before accepting a prospective tenant’s application fee. The criteria can include financial factors like credit and income, employment, criminal history, and rental history.
- After extending a conditional offer, a landlord can only consider pending criminal accusations or convictions within the past seven years if they pertain to certain crimes.
- These crimes, whether committed within the District of Columbia or any other state, include a range of severe offenses like arson, burglary, assault with intent to harm, murder, sexual abuse, child exploitation, terrorism, fraud, and drug-related crimes. [3]
Security Deposit Limits
- Landlords can ask for a security deposit when an applicant gets approval. They must also provide a receipt unless a personal check with the purpose of the payment is used.
- The law also mandates you to place security deposits into an interest-bearing escrow account within 30 days of receiving them, even if they’re from multiple properties. [4]
Pet Deposits
A pet deposit can be requested, but this rule doesn’t apply to service and emotional support animals. The entire security deposit, however, cannot exceed one month’s rent. It’s important to note that this law doesn’t protect tenants from being charged a monthly pet fee.
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