Washington D.C. Rental Application Form
The first step to renting a property is the submission of a rental application form to the landlord. A prospective tenant fills out the form, which asks for personal details of the applicant, such as employment information, previous tenancies, and contact information of personal references.
Landlords usually receive multiple applications; the rental application form will help them determine the ideal tenant for the rental property. The landlord conducts background checks on all applicants. One of the most critical elements of this inquiry is the credit score—it’s best to be at 620 or even higher. This is considered a fair credit score that demonstrates the applicant’s stable financial situation.
To complement the credit score, the landlord will also look at the applicant’s income to ensure they can afford to pay the monthly rent. More importantly, the landlord will check the applicant’s eviction record, if any, and the criminal history.
However, the landlord should not make blanket rejection decisions based on this information. They have to determine if the crime will endanger other tenants or not.
It is important to note that according to the Federal Fair Housing Act, a landlord cannot reject an application based on a person’s gender, religion, nationality or nation of origin, disability, or familial status.
Rental Application Fee
Washington, D.C. landlords can collect a non-refundable rental application fee capped at $50. The amount will cover the administrative cost of completing the background check, which can be done by a third party or the landlord.
The landlord must collect the same amount from all applicants in the name of impartiality.
Security Deposits
A landlord may charge a tenant a maximum security deposit equivalent to one month’s rent. Unlike the rental application fee, the security deposit is refundable.
According to Washington, D.C. laws, the landlord has 45 days to return the security deposit after the lease ends. However, if there is damage to the property, the landlord can deduct the cost of repairs from the collected amount.
The landlord must send a notice of withholding to the tenant and send the remaining balance within 30 days. It must be accompanied by an itemized list of the deducted expenses for transparency (DC Code § 42–3502.17).