Delaware Residential Rental Application and Screening Packet

Delaware Residential Rental Application and Screening Packet

Use one packet per adult applicant. Give the criteria and fee disclosure before collecting money or ordering a report.

Privacy rule: Do not place sensitive identifiers or financial-account numbers in this packet. Collect identity credentials only through a separately approved secure channel with access controls and a retention schedule.

Delaware Application-Fee Module

• Monthly rent: $[________]
• Ten percent of monthly rent: $[________]
• Statutory ceiling (greater of 10% of monthly rent or $50): $[________]
• Application fee charged: $[________]
• Receipt delivered on: [__/__/____] by ☐ Paper ☐ Email
• Two-year fee record retention through: [__/__/____]

A landlord may not charge more than the greater of 10% of monthly rent or $50, must give a receipt for the full fee, and must keep complete fee records for at least two years. An unlawful demand exposes the landlord to double the application fee charged. 25 Del. C. § 5514(d).

1. Property and Housing Provider

• Property address/unit: [________________________________]
• Monthly rent/proposed move-in/term: [________________________________]
• Housing provider/agent and notice address: [________________________________]
• Completed application received: [__/__/____] at [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.

2. Written Screening Criteria

Apply criteria consistently. Do not discriminate because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin. 42 U.S.C. § 3604. Check additional Delaware and local protected classes.

3. Applicant Information

• Full legal name/name used for references: [________________________________]
• Email/telephone: [________________________________]
• Current address and time there: [________________________________]
• Requested move-in date: [__/__/____]
• Other proposed occupants/relationship: [________________________________]
• Animals: [________________________________]
• Confidential assistance-animal process requested: ☐ Yes ☐ No

Do not ask for diagnosis or disability details here.

4. Residence and Income History

Applicant authorizes lawful verification of the information listed above.

5. Applicant Statements and Consumer-Report Authorization

• ☐ Information is complete and accurate to the best of the applicant's knowledge.
• ☐ Applicant received the written criteria and fee disclosure before payment.
• ☐ Applicant received the privacy/retention notice.
• ☐ Applicant understands this is not a lease or promise of approval.

I give written instructions authorizing [HOUSING PROVIDER/AGENT] and [CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCY] to obtain and use the checked reports solely for this rental application and lawful account review. 15 U.S.C. § 1681b(a)(2).

• Agency/address/telephone: [________________________________]
• Reports: ☐ Credit ☐ Rental history ☐ Eviction records ☐ Criminal records ☐ Other: [________]
• Authorization expires: [__/__/____]

Applicant signature: [________________________________] Date: [__/__/____]

6. Fee Receipt and Decision Record

• Amount/character: $[________] ☐ No fee ☐ Application fee ☐ Refundable deposit
• Payment reference, no full account number: [________________________________]
• Receipt number/date: [________________________________]
• Criteria applied exactly as disclosed: ☐ Yes
• Decision: ☐ Approved ☐ Conditional approval ☐ Denied ☐ Withdrawn
• Criterion and verified fact: [________________________________]
• Consumer report affected decision: ☐ Yes ☐ No
• Decision maker/date: [________________________________]

7. Adverse-Action Notice

Applicant/property/date: [________________________________]

Action: ☐ Denied ☐ Increased deposit ☐ Guarantor required ☐ Other: [________________________________]

Specific disclosed criterion and reason: [________________________________]

If a consumer report affected the action, identify the agency, address, telephone, score and required score factors if used. The agency did not make the decision. The applicant may request a free report within 60 days and dispute inaccurate or incomplete information. 15 U.S.C. § 1681m(a).

Housing provider/agent signature: [________________________________]

Sources and References

• 15 U.S.C. § 1681b — https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:15%20section:1681b%20edition:prelim)
• 15 U.S.C. § 1681m — https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:15%20section:1681m%20edition:prelim)
• 42 U.S.C. § 3604 — https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:42%20section:3604%20edition:prelim)
• 25 Del. C. § 5514(d) — https://delcode.delaware.gov/title25/c055/index.html