Wyoming Rental Application Form
There are many benefits to living in Wyoming: beautiful scenery, savings on income tax, and a lower cost of living. If you find a great house or apartment for rent in Wyoming, the first step to leasing it is to submit a rental application form to the landlord or property owner.
A rental application form is a document that signifies your intent to rent or lease the subject property. A landlord may receive multiple rental applications, and it is at their discretion to find and approve the person who fits the description of their ideal tenant. To choose the best applicant as a tenant, the landlord has to do a background check. The rental application form serves as an applicant’s written consent for them to do so.
The landlord looks into all applicants’ credit. A credit score of 620 or higher is considered ideal. The landlord will also check their prospective tenants’ income to ensure they can afford the monthly rent. An eviction check is also essential as the landlord would be wary of leasing their property to someone previously evicted.
Wyoming landlords will also check applicants’ criminal history for their safety and that of other other tenants in multi-family apartments.
Rental Application Fee
There is no statute on rental application fees in Wyoming. It means landlords can collect whatever amount they want with the rental application, which is non-refundable. The fee is meant to cover the cost of the background check.
While no standard amount is mandated by law, Wyoming landlords must collect the same rental application fee from all applicants. There must be no bias in setting a certain amount.
In the same manner, approval of rental applications must be impartial. The law “prohibits discrimination by direct providers of housing such as landlords whose discriminatory practices make housing unavailable to persons because of race or color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability” (The Federal Fair Housing Act).
Security Deposits
There is no law or statute that dictates the security deposit that a Wyoming landlord can collect from a tenant. Unlike the rental application fee, the security deposit is refundable. The landlord has 30 days to return the security deposit to the tenant after the termination of the lease.
The landlord can deduct expenses accrued in cleaning and repairing damage to the property, if applicable. The property must return to its original state, minus the usual wear and tear from the aging structure (WY Stat § 1-21-1207, 1208).