Last year, the city of Eugene, Ore., took a different approach,at $10. It's part of a range of measures to keep people from falling into homelessness, says Kevin Cronin of the nonprofit Housing Oregon and an organizer with the Eugene Tenant Alliance.
Rental application fees even got a small bit of national attention when Rep. Maxwell Frost, the first Generation Z member of Congress, was denied an apartment in Washington, D.C., because of his credit. He also complained about losing the $50 application fee, andLike many measures states and cities have been debating, such a proposal would face strong opposition from landlords.
In California, Assemblymember Ward first proposed making reusable screenings mandatory, but after industry pushback it was changed to be voluntary. Ward says he remains hopeful that landlords will find the standard checks useful and they may later be required. She helps low-income clients who've been charged sometimes hundreds of dollars, though it can be difficult because the law doesn't spell out damages if landlords don't comply. Rudolph also says there's not been a lot of education about the recent law, so some landlords and tenants may be unaware of it.