New Montana Bill Targets Rental Application Fees

• Montana is considered a landlord friendly state
• Montana House Bill 311 would actually do something for prospective tenants instead of landlords, which is uncommon in Montana-NBC Montana

It's Not Easy To Be A Renter In Montana

Remember back in 2019 when most Montanans could afford to live indoors? Remember when rent and house payments in Montana were more accommodating to people who live and work in Montana and make "Montana money". Ahhhhh. Those were the days.

And thanks to the legislators in Helena before the election of 2024, there are almost no protections for the renters.

What Is Montana House Bill 311?

From Bill Track 50: HB 311, presented by Representative out of the Bozeman area, Kelly Kortum (D), is a bill that would require landlords to refund application fees to those who don't sign a lease, with deductions of costs to the landlords. It would also require landlords to:

• Provide applicants of written notice of the application fee breakdown when they collect the application fee
• Refund fee in a reasonable amount amount of time to applicants who are rejected
• Applicants may sue for damages if the landlord wrongfully withholds the fee
• Must prove services they provided

Rental Application Fees Can't Be That High, Right?

Rent Prep reports that the average rental application fee is around $30. I've seen them as high at $75 and people in Bozeman report being charged upwards of $200. With the competition for rentals all over Montana, just APPLYING for rentals can break you in this economy.

Azibo says this about Montana:

• Montana – Application fees are allowed with no limits and they are non-refundable

Cool.

This goes nicely with HB 463, passed in Montana and signed by Gianforte in 2023.  Thankfully this keeps anyone from capping how much a landlord can charge for rent and they can raise rent whenever for any amount.

Cool.

Final Note: Investment Bankers Shut UUUUUUPPPPPPPP

To close this out, I have to show you the MOST disturbing thing I came across when researching HB 311.  Take a look at where Montana falls as a "Landlord Friendly State" as ranked by this real estate investment site, Real Wealth. It's enough to make me want to kick a squirrel.

What's Montana's House Bill 165? Click Here To Find Out

Basically this article tells one percenter investors where they can get the easiest big money for their investment. Why do I say that? They tell them to steer clear of states who make landlords accountable for their property and behavior.

Fun side note: How many times can you find the word "eviction" in the Real Wealth invest-in-landlord-friendly-states article?  I counted 82.

Weird