Have you paid a rental application fee after October 1, 2025, but didn’t get the place? If so, you may be able to get your money back from the landlord.
To qualify for a refund of your application fee, the landlord or property manager must manage at least 4 rental units, and you must have paid the application fee after October 1, 2025. This law applies to mobile home lot rentals too. Read the law for yourself at Section 37-56-109, Montana Code.
If the landlord or property manager paid a fee to run a credit check or to run any other service on your application, they can keep that part of your application fee, as long as they gave you written notice at the time you applied, telling you the cost of each service they might run on your application.
If the landlord didn’t run a credit check or pay for any other services on your application, then the landlord or property manager must refund your application fee to you in full.
Here’s an example: If you paid a $50 application fee and the landlord spent $20 to run a credit check on you, you may be entitled to a refund of $30—but only if the landlord gave you written notice when you applied of the cost of each service that could be run on your application. If they didn’t give you the written notice, then they must refund the full $50 to you.
To request your refund, contact the landlord or property manager that you applied to. The law requires them to refund your application fee “within a reasonable period of time.”
Need help? MLSA assists Montanans with civil legal issues. To apply, contact Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA) at 1-800-666-6899 or apply online at MontanaLawHelp.org.
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