The original statute provides that the amount of the application screening fee shall not be greater than the actual out-of-pocket costs of gathering information concerning the applicant, including, but not limited to, the cost of using a tenant screening service or a consumer credit reporting service, and the reasonable value of time spent by the landlord or his or her agent in obtaining information on the application. In no case shall the amount of the application screening fee charged by the landlord or his or her agent be greater than $30 per application. The $30 application screening fee can be adjusted annually by the landlord or his or her agent commensurate with an increase in the Consumer Price Index.
As of December 2020, the CPI adjusted increase to the screening fee is $23.33 and the total maximum fee you can charge is $53.33.
