Oregon Rental Application Form
If you have your eye on an Oregon house or apartment, the first step to a tenancy is to submit a rental application form. An Oregon Rental Application Form is a document landlords use to screen applicants and find the best tenant before filling out an Oregon lease agreement.
What can be expected from the rental application form? It contains personal information of the prospective tenant—name, address, date of birth, phone number, social security number, and driver’s license, among others. Employment information, such as income and length of employment, are also crucial because these details will help the landlord determine if the applicant can pay rent on time each month.
The tail end of the application form usually outlines authorization for the landlord to do a background check on the applicant to verify the details written on the form. It asks questions such as: Does the applicant have a criminal history? Does the applicant have an eviction record?
The landlord will also scrutinize the applicant’s credit. These important details will help the landlord determine the best applicant for their property. In most cases, a copy of the Federal Fair Housing Act is attached to the form so the applicant is aware of their rights as an applicant and tenant.
Rental Application Fee
Every rental application form comes with a rental application fee because doing a background check on a prospective tenant is not free.
According to Oregon law, an applicant screening charge refers to the payment required to enter into a rental agreement, the purpose of which is to pay the cost of processing an application for a rental agreement for a residential dwelling unit (OR Rev Stat § 90).
There is no statute on the maximum amount a landlord can charge, but it should not be greater than the average cost of a screening. It may cover charges from the tenant screening company or consumer credit reporting agency, plus the reasonable value charged for the landlord’s administrative processing of the applicant’s background information (OR Rev Stat § 90.295).
Security Deposits
Once a person is chosen as a tenant for a rental unit or property, the next step is to sign a lease agreement form. The landlord will also collect a security deposit, which is an amount the renter pays at the beginning of the tenancy period as a standby fund in the event of damage to the property or unpaid rent at the end of the term.
In Oregon, there is no statute on the minimum or maximum security deposit a landlord can collect. The landlord is only required to provide the tenant with a receipt (OR Rev Stat § 90.300).