Most of the apartments that you look at as a new home are going to have some sort of application fee on them. This is used by the landlord to process your application, which takes time, to handle your background check to make sure it is safe to rent to you, and to do a good credit check and ensure that you are likely to pay your rent each month and not leave the landlord with no money for their investment. There are a few exceptions to this, but if you are moving, then you need to expect that you are going to need to pay some sort of application fee.

The amount that you pay for this is going to vary and the landlord does have some say in how much they charge. It can depend on how much it costs the landlord to do some of the checks and some states may have regulations no how much the landlord can charge, though most do not. The good news is that these are often minimal (unless you are applying to a ton of apartments at once), so if you just go with one, it won’t break the bank.

Most of the time, you will spend between $20 to $50 on the application fee to get it all done. There are some landlords where the market is hotter that will charge closer to $100 to help weed out some of the candidates who may not be as serious about moving into the property, but most of the time it will be lower. If you see that the application fee is way higher than this or that someone is charging you before you even have a chance to come look at the apartment, be aware that this is a sign of a scam. A small fee is normal and helps the landlord process you through as a new tenant; a high one means someone is taking advantage.

A new townhome could be the right option for you when it is time to find a new place to live. Not only do you get the extra space that a townhome affords, but since it is new, you get all the great upgrades and great amenities that you could ever want in your new home. What could be better than that? Our new construction townhomes in Charleston are just waiting for you to come check them out and make them into your new home. No matter how long you have been debating a switch, now is the time to make it happen. Contact us today to set up your tour.