Cal. Civ. Code § 250.208
Rental Applications
Operative Text
(a) A landlord or the landlord's agent may only charge a fee that is reasonably related to the actual administrative expenses incurred and may not use fees as a general revenue source. (b) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit a person from charging or require a person to charge a rental application fee to apply to enter into a rental agreement for commercial, residential or nonresidential property. (208 added Oct. 22, 2026, P.L.595, No.67) ARTICLE III. RECOVERY OF RENT BY ASSUMPSIT AND DISTRESS.
Pennsylvania law under 68 P.S. § 250.208 limits what landlords may charge prospective tenants when they apply to rent a property. Any application fee must be reasonably tied to the actual administrative costs the landlord or agent incurs in processing the application, and fees cannot be used simply to generate extra income. The law neither requires landlords to charge an application fee nor prevents them from doing so.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under 68 P.S. § 250.208, operators who charge rental application fees must be able to connect the fee amount to real, documentable administrative expenses — such as credit check costs, background screening fees, or staff processing time. Using application fees as a general revenue source is prohibited, so maintaining records that substantiate the costs behind any fee charged is a practice consistent with compliance. The law does not mandate that a fee be charged at all, leaving that decision to the property owner or manager.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 68 P.S. § 250.208 gives prospective tenants in Pennsylvania a basis to question application fees that appear disproportionate to the landlord's actual administrative costs. If a fee seems to exceed what processing an application would reasonably cost, that may be grounds for raising a concern with a local tenant-rights organization or exploring available complaint channels. Because the law does not require landlords to charge any fee at all, tenants may also ask landlords to explain or document the basis for any fee before submitting payment.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 9, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
No inbound references recorded yet for this provision.