Walk It Through: The Voucher and the Listing
A listing that says no vouchers, an application fee, a holding fee, and a complaint within a year.
A mother with a housing voucher finds a listing in Dover that says no vouchers accepted.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
A search for an apartment with a voucher. Disability accommodations, owner occupied exemptions and discrimination in a sale are not worked through here.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Application feeA fee to check a prospective tenant's credit, no more than 10 percent of the monthly rent or $50, whichever is greater.
- Assurance moneyA payment a prospective landlord asks for that is not an application fee, deposit, surety bond fee or reservation deposit, and may not take.
- Security depositMoney held in escrow to cover damage beyond normal wear and tear and unpaid rent, capped at 1 month's rent on a lease of 1 year or more.
- Source of incomeOne of the grounds on which refusing to rent or setting different terms is unlawful discrimination.