The New York Rental Application is a document that is given to prospective tenants looking to rent a home or apartment in New York to see if they qualify for entering into a lease. In NYC, apartments are notable for being in high demand, with open rentals rarely staying vacant for long. For landlords, selecting the most desirable candidate among the applicants is vital to protect the property from being damaged, neighboring tenants from being disturbed, and for ensuring rent is paid on time. By downloading and issuing the application to all prospective renters, landlords can efficiently compare applications side-by-side and use the listed information to run essential criminal, rental, and credit background checks.
Maximum Application Fee: As of June of 2019, landlords cannot require applicants to pay application fees greater than twenty dollars ($20).
Security Deposits (§ 7-108): Landlords cannot request more than one (1) months’ rent from tenants. Upon the lease’s expiration, the landlord has to return security deposits within fourteen (14) days, including a list of any deductions made from the deposit (and why they were taken out).
General: Landlords cannot refuse to accept an applicant based on any prior altercations they had with landlords.