If interested in renting Maryland property, prospective tenants must go through an application process, allowing landlords to know if they are a good fit.
With a Maryland rental application form, landlords and property managers can screen potential tenants and assess key information, including their rental history, credit report, and income.
Are you a property owner or manager? These documents let you know the applicant's inability to pay rent or cause a nuisance. In addition, rental applications protect you against future unfair accusations and provide contact details or references if a tenant disappears after signing the contract.
Read on and find the information you need about the most important aspects of a rental application form.
A Maryland rental application form is the tool you need to collect personal and financial information from a prospective tenant and streamline the vetting process. Therefore, this document must include:
In addition to the details listed above, Maryland landlords must include legal disclosures in a rental application, reporting information about:
In accordance with the Federal Fair Housing Act, landlords and real estate companies must avoid discriminatory practices that may make housing unavailable to any person because of their:
Under Maryland housing law, some state-protected classes prohibit landlords from requesting information about:
Landlords or rental property managers should not request these details in writing or in person. In addition, this information could not be considered within the Maryland rental application unless exceptions apply.
Maryland state has imposed some laws related to the rental application process. Landlords or real estate companies failing to comply with any of them could face legal repercussions. These are:
Under the Maryland Code, Real Property § 8-203, landlords may not require security deposits in excess of two months' rent for any housing unit regardless of the number of tenants.
In addition, every landlord must give the tenant a security deposit receipt attached to the written lease agreement.
Maryland law does not limit the application fee for any rental property. However, landlords must return unspent application fees over $25.00 within 15 days of receipt, as set forth in Maryland Code, Real Property § 8-213.
Property managers or owners can only keep part of the fees spent on credit checks or other processes performed on behalf of the tenant.
All prospective tenants must receive a written notice of the approval criteria or why their application was denied or approved. A signature of acknowledgment is often used to prove that this information was properly shared.
In accordance with the Federal Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), prospective renters must provide written consent for a credit history check as part of any Maryland rental application.
If they have the consent of the prospective tenant, Maryland landlords may conduct background checks during rental applications. These fall into the following categories:
Local laws describe evictions as public records. In other words, anyone can access them. Landlords can obtain this information through Maryland's court system website or by a paid third party.
After receiving a credit or criminal report and taking an "adverse action" in connection with the rental application, property managers or owners must give the tenant a written notice letter, also known as an "adverse action notice."
You must provide an adverse action notice if you reject an applicant, require a larger security deposit, increase the rent, or require a co-signer. It is necessary even if the report's information did not influence the decision and must include:
While not required by law, landlords are encouraged to specify the reason for rejecting a potential tenant.
If you want to create your own rental application form in Maryland but think it is difficult due to all the legal and technical aspects to be considered, download a template here!
Whether you're a landlord or property manager, DoorLoop has everything you need to create your Maryland rental application form in just minutes. You can download a template as a Word document or PDF, or customize it to make some adjustments.