Oregon Rental Application
The Oregon Rental Application is the standard method landlords use for screening tenants before signing a rental lease. It is in the best interests of a landlord to make a thoughtful decision when it comes to selecting the person they will lease their rental to, as tenants can cause significant damage to rentals, and the eviction process can drain landlords of both time and money. The form is compliant with the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity – this is important for landlords, as screening tenants with discriminatory questions is against Federal law and can result in significant consequences.
The form is broken up into ten (10) sections, bringing the applicant through a series of questions that require them to disclose everything from their outstanding debts to previous evictions (if any), so that the landlord can come to a better understanding of any potential risks they would bring as a tenant. The state does not restrict the amount landlords can charge for running an application. However, the total cost of the application should not be more than $10-30, as it is best practice to only charge applicants for the cost of running the credit/criminal checks, not the time it took the landlord to collect the information.
State Laws
Maximum Application Fee: None.
Security Deposits (§ 90.300): No limit on deposits per Oregon Residential Landlord and Tenant law. After a lease terminates, landlords have thirty-one (31) days to return the deposit (minus any deductions, if any).