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What kind of property will be rented? What kind of property will be rented? Mobile HomeLast Update September 14th, 2024
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Table of Contents:A California rental application is a legal form that is used by landlords and property managers to screen potential tenants before they sign a lease and move into a rental unit. This allows you to ensure that they will pay rent on time and not cause a nuisance.
Standard rental applications in the state of California can also be known by other alternative names such as:
Having a professional and properly prepared rental application for your real estate is important to ensure that you choose the right person to live in your property. It allows both parties to securely and safely verify that an agreement can work out in the long term by providing crucial information up front in writing.
There are a few types of California applications for rental properties that can be used to screen tenants. The type you use ultimately depends on the kind of property you are leasing and the types of tenants you are looking to house.
This is a customizable form that can be used by private landlords for standard rental properties. Most rental applications used in the real estate market today are standard/general documents.
This is a standardized form created by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that is issued by providers of public housing. These forms are specially prepared to properly offer rental properties to low-income tenants and those eligible for Section 8 housing.
There are many important questions and sections that should be included in an effective application form. A simple rental application will usually request the following details from the tenant:
Additionally, the landlord must provide several legal disclosures on a standard rental application. They must report information on:
California has many rules and statutes regulating its housing market. These must be fully considered when preparing an application for rental properties in the state.
Failure to comply with these requirements could result in legal action from the applicant against you. Therefore, it is essential that your California rental application meets the correct legal standards.
Under California law (Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.6), you can charge a prospective tenant up to $52.46 (as of February 2020) for the rental application. However, the price allowed may be adjusted yearly based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). You must also provide an itemized receipt for the costs incurred.
Landlords cannot charge more than 2 months’ rent if they are leasing an unfurnished apartment under California law (Cal. Civ. Code § 1950.5(c)). However, landlords with furnished properties can charge up to 3 months’ rent.
Under the Fair Housing Act (FHA) you may not discriminate against potential tenants for a number of reasons. In California, you may not reject an application for any of the following purposes:
If you want to carry out any credit or background checks you must first request the potential tenant’s permission on the application form. The applicant must sign and grant their express consent on the form or you will not be able to proceed with these forms of screening.
Looking over a readily prepared template of a rental application can make it much easier to create your own. Review our document sample below to get more familiar with what your application form will look like when it’s completed.