Many landlords check a prospective tenant’s credit history with at least one credit reporting agency to see how responsible the prospective tenant is with managing money. The average price for this is around $20. The landlord can only charge an application fee that is the amount required for the credit check and must refund any extra money. Additionally, the landlord may charge prospective tenants for background checks, eviction and court records, employment history, and rental history.

Learn more about application fees in Step 11: Rental Application of our Rental Timeline.