New Jersey rental/lease application form

Managers and owners of residential properties in New Jersey use the New Jersey Rental/Lease application form to evaluate people who are interested in renting spaces available for lease. A landlord typically requires an applicant to provide both the application and a fee (any amount the landlord chooses). There are two (2) reasons for requiring a fee; first, it prevents prospects from "tire-kicking" (uninterested), and second, it covers the cost of running background and credit checks of between $30 and $50.

New Jersey rental/lease application form template

New Jersey rental/lease application form

Statutes

Application fee - There is no restriction stipulated by regulation for the sum of the application fee to be collected (no resolution).

Security Deposit - The sum of the initial deposit is one and a half (1.5) months' lease for the primary year. After the main year, the landowner might demand up to ten extra percent (10%) of the underlying sum as a further store (§ 46:8-21.2).

Why screen a potential applicant? 

Tenants who are difficult to deal with can be a nuisance to their neighbors and, if they don't pay their rent, can lead to expensive evictions. Horror stories about tenants abound, but many of them might have been prevented if the landlord had carefully vetted potential tenants in advance. 

Many landlords think they can trust their gut feelings, but these feelings are rarely accurate indicators of how a tenant will behave. A thorough tenant screening procedure that takes into account a credit report, criminal history check, and eviction history is crucial for a small landlord looking for a reliable and stable passive income source.

Accordingly, landowners should utilize the following screening process to obtain detailed information about prospective candidates:

Applicants' financial history

For the vast majority of landowners, getting a complete credit report of the applicant's financial history is crucial. Because it gives the landowner precise information about the applicant's financial capability, the financial statement is a crucial tool that shouldn't be ignored. In other words, it provides the landlord with information about the applicant's capacity to make rent payments. Finding out the applicant's financial situation is crucial because it can be used to predict whether they will make timely rent payments.

Property and neighborhood security.

A thorough applicant screening procedure must include a criminal background check. Verify your rental candidate's criminal history before approving them, as criminal convictions are not always unarguable. Although not all criminal indictments are serious, you may be willing to overlook a candidate's record if it includes a few minor infractions or a long-ago conviction. To avoid renting or endangering your candidate's property or the neighborhood, consider criminal records as appropriate.

Save money by avoiding unnecessary eviction.

No landowner wants to consider the time-consuming, pricey, and difficult process of evicting a tenant. As a result, the screening is a useful tool for choosing a tenant who will be more likely to renew their lease over time.

Key factors to take into account when screening applicants

There are several items that should be included in a comprehensive tenant screening:

  • full disclosure of the applicant's information

  • any prior criminal activity.

  • Suitable References

  • Occupational history

  • Credit reports and financial history

Download our free New Jersey lease application in an instant to create a legally binding document.

Download our free New Jersey lease application in an instant to create a legally binding document.

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