New Jersey Rental Application
A New Jersey Rental Application, otherwise known as a “Lease Application,” is a tool used by managers and owners of residential property to evaluate individuals who have shown interest in renting a home or unit available for lease. Typically, landlords will require an applicant to provide both the completed application and an attached fee (can be any amount of the landlord’s choosing). Requiring a fee serves two purposes; 1), it prevents prospects who are not truly interested, and 2) it covers the costs of running background and credit checks.
When going through completed applications, landlords should look for a wide variety of warning signs, which include previous bankruptcies, a poor credit score, low-quality references, previous evictions, and recent criminal activity, to name a few. Landlords can create any criteria for accepting or denying applicants so long as the conditions fall in-line with the Federal Fair Housing Act, which restricts landlords from conducting discriminatory practices during the screening process.
Laws
- Maximum Application Fee: No fee requirements per New Jersey law.
- Security Deposits (§ 46:8-21.2): Deposits cannot be more than one-and-a-half (1.5) months’ rent, and must be returned within thirty (30) days after the end-date of the lease.