A New Jersey Rental Application is the perfect solution for landlords seeking assistance in creating an effective lease application form. It helps you identify the ideal tenant without compromising on their rights.
All New Jersey property owners are required to follow state law . A few critical points include the following:
Always follow the Federal Fair Housing Act and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination. [2]
In most instances, the Fair Chance in Housing Act prohibits landlords and property owners from asking about criminal history on rental applications. [3]
The two main exceptions are whether the applicant has been convicted of drug-related criminal activity for manufacturing or producing methamphetamine on federally assisted housing or whether the applicant is subject to lifetime registration on a state sex offender registry.
As a property owner, you must avoid allegations of housing discrimination. In 2021, New Jersey had more than 500 allegations of housing discrimination [4] . These can be costly complaints to deal with.
While you need to collect the correct information, you must ensure you do so in a way that does not violate the rights of your applicants.
Landlords are allowed to collect a security deposit, but this security deposit cannot be more than one and one-half month’s rent [5] .
Landlords must also hold that security deposit in an adequately insured bank. This ensures the security deposit is not lost.
Landlords can charge a non-refundable pet deposit as long as the total security deposit is not more than one and one-half month’s rent.
Below is an example of a standard New Jersey rental application form.
