California Rental Fee Rules
California rules on rental fees for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-22.
Short answer: An application screening fee is capped at the landlord's actual out-of-pocket costs and the value of time spent, and may not exceed $30 per applicant, adjusted annually by CPI since 1998. Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1950.6, 1950.1
The rules in California
| Application / screening fees | An application screening fee is capped at the landlord's actual out-of-pocket costs and the value of time spent, and may not exceed $30 per applicant, adjusted annually by CPI since 1998. Guarantors and cosigners count as applicants. A landlord may not charge a fee when it knows or should know that no unit is or will soon be available. Since January 1, 2025 (AB 2493), a fee is allowed only if the landlord either (A) considers completed applications in the order received under written screening criteria given with the application, approves the first qualified applicant, and charges no fee until an application is actually considered (fees collected by mistake must be refunded within 7 days), or (B) refunds the full fee to every applicant who is not selected, within 7 days of selecting a tenant or 30 days after the application, whichever comes first. The landlord must give an itemized receipt and, if a fee was paid, a copy of the credit report within 7 days of receiving it. Any part of the fee not spent on screening must be refunded. If a landlord chooses to accept a reusable tenant screening report (prepared within the last 30 days at the applicant's expense), it may not charge an application fee or a fee to access that report. Section 1950.6 was last amended by AB 1170 (Stats. 2025, ch. 67, effective Jan. 1, 2026); the AB 2493 process rules are in subdivision (c). The current CPI-adjusted dollar figure is not published in the statute. Landlords are not required to accept reusable reports (§ 1950.1(h)). Text verified via the Legislative Counsel pubinfo database. Source: Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1950.6, 1950.1 |
|---|---|
| Other rental fees | Any fee charged at the start of a tenancy to cover the cost of processing a new tenant counts as 'security'. It therefore falls under the deposit cap and refund rules, and no part of it may be labeled nonrefundable. Application screening fees are regulated separately. A landlord must accept at least one form of rent payment that is neither cash nor electronic funds transfer, and may not charge a fee for paying rent or deposit by check. Since January 1, 2025 (SB 611), a landlord may not charge a fee for serving, posting, or delivering a termination notice. If a tenant opts into positive rent reporting to credit bureaus, the landlord may charge no more than the lesser of its actual cost or $10 per month, and nothing if it has no cost. Positive rent reporting offer: Civ. Code § 1954.07 (AB 2747, Stats. 2024, ch. 279). Local ordinances may add limits. Text verified via the Legislative Counsel pubinfo database. |
Related questions
- How much can a landlord charge for a rental application fee?
- What rental fees are illegal (junk fees)?
California vs. neighboring states
| State | Application / screening fees | Other rental fees |
|---|---|---|
| California | An application screening fee is capped at the landlord's actual out-of-pocket costs and the value of time spent, and may not exceed $30 per applicant, adjusted annually by CPI since 1998. Guarantors and cosigners count as applicants. A landlord may not charge a fee when it knows or should know that no unit is or will soon be available. Since January 1, 2025 (AB 2493), a fee is allowed only if the landlord either (A) considers completed applications in the order received under written screening criteria given with the application, approves the first qualified applicant, and charges no fee until an application is actually considered (fees collected by mistake must be refunded within 7 days), or (B) refunds the full fee to every applicant who is not selected, within 7 days of selecting a tenant or 30 days after the application, whichever comes first. The landlord must give an itemized receipt and, if a fee was paid, a copy of the credit report within 7 days of receiving it. Any part of the fee not spent on screening must be refunded. If a landlord chooses to accept a reusable tenant screening report (prepared within the last 30 days at the applicant's expense), it may not charge an application fee or a fee to access that report. Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1950.6, 1950.1 | Any fee charged at the start of a tenancy to cover the cost of processing a new tenant counts as 'security'. It therefore falls under the deposit cap and refund rules, and no part of it may be labeled nonrefundable. Application screening fees are regulated separately. A landlord must accept at least one form of rent payment that is neither cash nor electronic funds transfer, and may not charge a fee for paying rent or deposit by check. Since January 1, 2025 (SB 611), a landlord may not charge a fee for serving, posting, or delivering a termination notice. If a tenant opts into positive rent reporting to credit bureaus, the landlord may charge no more than the lesser of its actual cost or $10 per month, and nothing if it has no cost. Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1950.5(b), (n); 1947.3(a)-(b); 1946(b); 1946.1(i); 1954.07(g) |
| Arizona | No statute caps or bans rental application or screening fees, and no statute requires portable screening reports. The only general rule is that the landlord must state in writing the purpose of any nonrefundable fee or deposit, and any fee or deposit not designated nonrefundable is refundable. A.R.S. § 33-1321(B); A.R.S. Title 33, Ch. 10 (§§ 33-1301 to 33-1381) checked | No general junk-fee or total-cost-of-rent statute. Specific limits: (1) the purpose of every nonrefundable fee must be stated in writing, and fees not designated nonrefundable are refundable (§ 33-1321(B)); (2) a landlord who bills utilities separately through submetering or ratio utility billing may recover only the provider's charges plus an administrative fee for actual administrative costs, with no other charges, and the lease must disclose the separately billed utilities and the fee amount (§ 33-1314.01(B)); (3) late fees must be 'reasonable' and set out in a written rental agreement to be required for reinstatement (§ 33-1368(B)); (4) a lease may not require the tenant to pay the landlord's attorney fees, except under a prevailing-party clause (§ 33-1315(A)(2)). A.R.S. §§ 33-1321(B), 33-1314.01, 33-1368(B), 33-1315(A) |
| Nevada | No dollar cap. A landlord who collects an application, credit-report or background-check fee must refund it if the unit is rented to someone else and the landlord did not actually process the application or obtain the report or check. Landlords may not charge application, credit-report or background-check fees for a minor (under 18) in the applicant's household. NRS 118A.306 (added 2025) | Yes (2025). Every place a landlord lists rent, and every reference in a written lease, must state rent as a single figure that includes all mandatory fees; the landlord may not charge more than that figure. The only exception is a separately disclosed, pass-through monthly fee for individually provided electric, gas or water service where the utility cannot contract with the tenant directly (or master-metered water), flagged by an asterisk with a statement on the same page. Leases must list required fees and their purposes. Landlords must offer at least one free way to pay rent that does not require bank-account information, and any online-portal fee may not exceed what the portal operator charges and must be separately identified in the lease. Landlords may not charge tenants for repairs that are the landlord's duty (including home-warranty deductibles or copays) unless the tenant caused the damage. NRS 118A.200(3), (6)-(9); NRS 118A.303; NRS 118A.290(4)-(5) |
| Oregon | Screening charge allowed only to cover screening costs and may not exceed the landlord's average actual cost or the customary amount charged by screening companies. Only one screening charge per applicant in any 60-day period regardless of how many units applied for. Before taking payment the landlord must adopt written criteria and give written notice of the charge, criteria, process, dispute/appeal rights, nondiscrimination policy, rent and deposits, and refund rights; must give a receipt and confirmation of screening. No charge when no units are available. Refund within 30 days if unit filled before screening or no screening done before written withdrawal. Penalty: twice the charge plus $250. Other applicant deposits/fees are barred except a deposit to secure execution of a rental agreement after approval. ORS 90.295; ORS 90.297 | Landlord may not charge a move-in fee for anticipated landlord expenses and may not charge any fee except those listed in ORS 90.302, each of which must be described in the written rental agreement: late fee (ORS 90.260), dishonored check fee, smoke/CO alarm tampering (up to $250), pet-agreement violation, early abandonment of a fixed term (max 1.5x monthly rent; not for DV or military releases), and capped fees for repeated written-rule violations after a written warning ($50, then $50 + 5% of rent; $250 for smoking/unauthorized pet). Liquidated damages are barred. Since June 5, 2026, processing fees for card, tenant-portal or other electronic payments may be passed through only if the payment processor allows it, the landlord lets the tenant pay by check or another non-electronic method, and records of the fees are given to the tenant on written request. A landlord may not require electronic payment, and may not charge a late fee or terminate for nonpayment if it refused a payment offered by check or another commercially reasonable method. ORS 90.302; 2026 Or. Laws c.23 (SB 1523) §§ 3, 5 |
City rules that may add to state law
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- All California landlord-tenant rules
- Free legal help in California
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California Rental Fee Rules FAQ
Is there a limit on rental application fees in California?
An application screening fee is capped at the landlord's actual out-of-pocket costs and the value of time spent, and may not exceed $30 per applicant, adjusted annually by CPI since 1998. Guarantors and cosigners count as applicants. A landlord may not charge a fee when it knows or should know that no unit is or will soon be available. Since January 1, 2025 (AB 2493), a fee is allowed only if the landlord either (A) considers completed applications in the order received under written screening criteria given with the application, approves the first qualified applicant, and charges no fee until an application is actually considered (fees collected by mistake must be refunded within 7 days), or (B) refunds the full fee to every applicant who is not selected, within 7 days of selecting a tenant or 30 days after the application, whichever comes first. The landlord must give an itemized receipt and, if a fee was paid, a copy of the credit report within 7 days of receiving it. Any part of the fee not spent on screening must be refunded. If a landlord chooses to accept a reusable tenant screening report (prepared within the last 30 days at the applicant's expense), it may not charge an application fee or a fee to access that report. (Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1950.6, 1950.1)
What rental fees are banned or limited in California?
Any fee charged at the start of a tenancy to cover the cost of processing a new tenant counts as 'security'. It therefore falls under the deposit cap and refund rules, and no part of it may be labeled nonrefundable. Application screening fees are regulated separately. A landlord must accept at least one form of rent payment that is neither cash nor electronic funds transfer, and may not charge a fee for paying rent or deposit by check. Since January 1, 2025 (SB 611), a landlord may not charge a fee for serving, posting, or delivering a termination notice. If a tenant opts into positive rent reporting to credit bureaus, the landlord may charge no more than the lesser of its actual cost or $10 per month, and nothing if it has no cost. (Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1950.5(b), (n); 1947.3(a)-(b); 1946(b); 1946.1(i); 1954.07(g))
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.