Louisville tenant screening laws are definitely going to make an impact on how well a landlord can find and sign the best tenants. The city is full of people looking for rentals, and landlords that own property in Louisville have plenty of opportunities to make a good match. There’s no excuse for landlords in Louisville to ignore key aspects of running a real estate business. Knowing the Louisville tenant screening laws and regulations will help them find the best applicants for their properties.
Louisville landlords that read this post will learn about:
- Louisville tenant screening laws
- Free landlord resources
- The tenant screening process
- How to locate the best tenant screening services
Tenant Screening Louisville Laws
There’s no excuse for landlords to ignore Louisville tenant screening laws, Metro areas like Louisville have a lot of landlords and tenants, all trying to achieve their goals. Most of all, the laws help keep everything familiar and balanced.
These are some Louisville tenant screening laws that everyone should consider:
- Neither the city or the state place limits on how much landlords can charge for an application fee.
- In Louisville, application fees are non-refundable.
- Security deposits and application fees are separate transactions from the renter to the landlord.
With Louisville tenant screening laws to regulate all the rental properties, there’s a fine chance for good landlords and good applicants to find each other.
Avoid This Common Screening Mistake
Too many Louisville landlords think they have what they need to run a background check on all the applicants they have for a rental property. However, their paperwork doesn’t provide a place for the applicant to sign for consent. A Louisville landlord cannot run a background check on an applicant without their signature. Remember that if current applications do not have a signature line, the document should be changed immediately.
This RentPrep form is a good example:
Where the top red arrow indicates, applicants are reminded that any fees are non-refundable. Of course, that bottom red arrow is where the applicants provide their signature of consent.
Resources for Tenant Screening in Louisville
RentPrep has gathered a helpful list of links for you to use in your real estate business. Therefore, there’s no better way to find top tenants than to use the information here.
- Rental Application PDF – Have every prospective tenant fill out this rental application.*
- Move-In Move-Out checklist – This is helpful for after the tenant screening process to make sure you document the condition of the rental
- Rental Lease Agreement – Once you’ve decided on a tenant you’ll want to draw up a lease. (make sure this editable doc is compliant with your state laws)
- Summary of Your Rights Under the FCRA – Our screeners here at RentPrep are FCRA certified to ensure compliance on your screening report
- Legal Aid Society Louisville – All about renting property in Louisville
*Many landlords are adoption a “no blank space” policy. As a result, this allows them to deny applications that don’t have every question filled out completely. However, an incomplete application is unable to be checked, so landlords only spend time on completed ones.
Louisville Tenant Screening Process
Landlords in Louisville are going to be able to stay consistent and fair when processing applications when they rely on a tenant screening criteria list. Remember, it’s a handwritten list created by the landlord that reflects every feature they want in their ideal tenant. With a realistic tenant screening criteria list, landlords can sort through applications to find qualified applicants.
Here’s an example tenant screening list:
- No smoking
- Income to rent ratio at least 2:1
- No evictions
- Single dog with current vet records and vaccinations; no cats
- No violent criminal history
- Any bankruptcies must be 7 years old or more
Sticking to the list is an excellent way to narrow down applicants. The final few applications will best match a landlord’s criteria. As long as the landlords are not using certain factors to discriminate, they can use the tenant screening list to select applicants of their choosing. Learn more about fair housing standards in the city of Louisville at this website, and landlords can learn more about federal fair housing at the hud.gov website.
So remember, Louisville tenant screening laws include:
- There’s no limit to how much landlords in Louisville can charge as application fees.
- An application can be denied if it doesn’t meet the landlord’s tenant screening criteria list.
- Landlords can get into legal trouble if they discriminate against protected classes.
Filling up rental units is a much easier process when landlords follow the Louisville tenant screening process. For more on Louisville tenant screening laws, click here.
Check Out Your Kentucky Screening Guide
In many cases cities have their own screening rules and regulations while the state has another set of rules that govern the screening process.
Click here to go to our post on “Kentucky Tenant Screening Process.”
Getting the Best Tenant Screening Services
When Louisville landlords are ready to run the background check, they should look for a fine tenant screening service with a good reputation. The screening service should provide a detailed report on:
- Prior evictions
- Bankruptcies
- Any judgment and lien
- Previous address history
With all the information in hand, a Louisville landlord can choose the applicant that best fits their rental property. Landlords in Louisville are on the right track when they use a professional background service to find out the details of application finalists.
At RentPrep, we have experience with over 21,000 landlords over the past 10 years. Check out our tenant screening packages to see the services we offer.
Our FCRA certified screeners will put your mind at ease by providing the best tenant screening report available.