Virginia Rental Application: Fill & Download for Free

“Child” or “children” is too vague a term for an accurate answer. If a person applied for an apartment, and was accepted as a tenant, the landlord should have been advised by the tenant’s rental application just how many, and who, are the persons to be living in the property. If that information was omitted from the rental application, then most likely the landlord would be within his/her rights to modify the terms of the rental agreement.It might be helpful to review the landlord tenant laws for Virginia. Overview of Landlord-Tenant Laws in Virginia

At least seven states restrict the use of application fees, but most states do not on the grounds that a business owner has the right to set prices, and that the free market will regulate cost.The rental properties that tenants live in (with the exception of public housing) are owned by private individuals who purchased or paid to build the homes. We take on significant risks, wait years to fully recoup our investment, and we have many expenses and significant inconvenience. Whether a property is owned by one person or a corporation, it belongs to private citizens who have put up or borrowed money to own it.Everyone is entitled to housing, but not to my housing, which is why our government needs to step up and provide for those people who are unable to rent in a free market. We should be allowed to charge whatever we like, and rents and fees should not be regulated without good and sufficient reason. If it were common for property owners to get together and agree to charge $2,000 for an application, the law should and would intervene.That’s not what is happening, however. The average application fee is $30, which is less than it cost to verify a prospective tenant’s history and identity in fees for background checks and labor. We charge non-refundable fees because the process of reviewing the application takes time, and because we have to pay out money to screen for evictions, judgments, criminal record, credit, and identity. Landlords who receive many applications would lose significant sums of money without the fees. The fee also serves the purpose of reducing the number of applicants who either aren’t serious or know in advance that they will not qualify, so charging a small fee allows us to focus on those people who might actually become tenants.Even when the law doesn’t restrict the fees we can charge, the market does. Our profits are derived from rents, not application fees, and we will collect no rent at all if no one is willing to pay the fee needed to apply.These are the states that do restrict fees, but these do not correspond with the states that have the lowest average fees.California: As of 2012, the most you can charge for an application fee is $49.50 and it should not exceed the landlord’s actual out-of-pocket costsDelaware: Landlords can only charge the greater of one month’s rent or $50 for an application fee.Massachusetts: Landlords may NOT collect application fees from applicantsMinnesota: The landlord should not charge more than what the screening service charges any extra funds would be refunded back to the applicant.Virginia: A landlord can charge up to $50 for an application fee that is used to pay for screening services. The landlord may charge a separate application deposit that must be refunded within 20 days to any tenants denied the rental.Washington: The application fee must be the exact amount of the background check and the landlord must show a receipt to show the actual cost of that background check.Wisconsin: The landlord cannot charge more than $20 for an application fee and must give a copy of the background report to the tenant.Rental Application Fees (breakdown of all 50 States)

Unless you live in one of the seven states that regulate or limit non-refundable application fees, a landlord or property manager can charge as much as they like – and what you are describing is essentially an application fee.The background check can be extensive and could cost up $50, depending on the service used, but you have to remember that landlords also need to take the time to sit down and review this information. In my case we will run checks for evictions, judgments, criminal history, credit, and identity. We also require applicants to submit proof of income, proof of identity, and we contact former landlords and other references.This is a standard check for most larger agencies or landlords with multiple properties. There is a lot of information to review from the background checks alone, but we also have to sit down and call your references. It would be excellent if everyone could answer the phone immediately and take the call, but we often end up playing phone tag for a while before we get the information we need.This wouldn’t be an issue if we only had to go through this process with the people who end up becoming tenants, but I reject at least 60 percent of applicants (and that’s with them knowing the criteria), and most of the rest end up on a waitlist. Now I still only charge $50, because I am not looking to make a profit off rejected applications, I merely want to cover some of my expenses.A non-refundable fee of $250 sounds unreasonable on the face of it, and ideally the market would regulate outrageous fees when no one was willing to pay them. Since this is being done by someone with multiple units, I can only assume that they have somehow been able to get away with. It’s not illegal outside of the states listed below, but it’s more than I would pay unless some unknown circumstance or factor made it more appropriate.I wouldn’t pay it, and I didn’t suggest that you do unless you have no other option or this fee is somehow standard in your area. If you are going to pay it, it would be reasonable to ask which factors would disqualify you. If they refuse to tell you whether a criminal record, an eviction, or whatever your credit score is would make them reject your application, then it sounds like they are deliberately trying to profit from applications. And even if it isn’t specifically prohibited by law, it is still wrong, exploitative, and deceitful.California: As of 2012, the most you can charge for an application fee is $49.50 and it should not exceed the landlord’s actual out-of-pocket costsDelaware: Landlords can only charge the greater of one month’s rent or $50 for an application fee.Massachusetts: Landlords may NOT collect application fees from applicantsMinnesota: The landlord should not charge more than what the screening service charges any extra funds would be refunded back to the applicant.Virginia: A landlord can charge up to $50 for an application fee that is used to pay for screening services. The landlord may charge a separate application deposit that must be refunded within 20 days to any tenants denied the rental.Washington: The application fee must be the exact amount of the background check and the landlord must show a receipt to show the actual cost of that background check.Wisconsin: The landlord cannot charge more than $20 for an application fee and must give a copy of the background report to the tenant.Rental Application Fees (breakdown of all 50 States)