Bill > S1042

This bill establishes new limitations on rental application fees in Idaho to protect potential renters from excessive charges. Under the new law, property owners and managers can only charge rental application fees to a maximum of two households per rental unit at the same time, and these fees can only be charged if certain conditions are met. These conditions include having an actual available rental unit (or one expected to be available within 60 days), disclosing application criteria upfront (such as criminal history, credit score, and income requirements), and completing a criminal background check for the applicant. The fees can only be charged to each legal adult in the applicant household and must be directly related to the actual costs of processing the application, such as conducting background checks. If the first applicant household is denied, the property owner can then charge fees to the next household, but still maintaining the two-household limit. The law is designed to reduce situations where applicants pay fees for rental units they are unlikely to obtain, and it will go into effect on July 1, 2025.

Business and Industry, Justice

Judiciary and Rules Committee (S)

https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2025/legislation/S1042/