Bill > HB2856

This bill establishes new rules for landlords charging fees to prospective tenants who are applying to rent a property. It defines key terms like "premises" (the property being rented), "rental agreement" (the lease), "rental application" (the information a potential renter provides), and "rental application fee" (any money charged before a lease begins, excluding security deposits or advance rent). The bill states that landlords can only charge a rental application fee if they use it to cover their actual costs of processing the application, and this fee cannot be more than fifteen dollars. If the fee collected exceeds the actual costs, the landlord must return the difference to the prospective tenant within twenty days. Additionally, landlords are required to provide a receipt for any rental application fee collected, offering an electronic receipt by default but providing a paper one if requested.