Legal Considerations When Listing a Rental Property

Avoid Costly Mistakes with Legally-Compliant Rental Listings

A great rental listing isn’t just about pictures and price, and there’s one critical step many landlords overlook in the rental listing process: compliance.

Rental listings are subject to strict legal rules, especially when it comes to anti-discrimination laws and tenant screening practices. If your ad crosses the line, even unintentionally, you could face complaints, fines, or worse.

What You Need to Know About Legal Compliance in Rental Listings

Navigating rental listing laws can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re managing properties across multiple jurisdictions. But understanding the basics can protect you and also help you attract good tenants.

Here are the most important legal considerations to keep in mind:

1. Fair Housing Laws Apply to Every Ad

Under the Fair Housing Act, landlords are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin. This also applies to your rental listing language.

That means no phrases like:

• “Perfect for single professionals”
• “Christian neighborhood”
• “No kids allowed”

Even if well-intentioned, these statements can be seen as discriminatory. Stick to describing the property, not the “ideal” tenant.

2. State-Specific Laws Vary—Know the Rules Where You Rent

What’s legal in one state may not fly in another. For example:

• In New York City, landlords can’t charge tenants more than $20 for a screening report, so Landlord Studio bills the landlord directly in those cases.
• Some states (like California) require you to include specific disclosures about smoking policies or pest control history in the listing.
• Others have laws about how quickly you must respond to rental inquiries or process applications.

Need help keeping it all straight? Landlord Studio offers state-by-state landlord-tenant law guides to help you stay compliant, no matter where your properties are located.

Read: Explore state-by-state landlord-tenant legal guides here

3. Screening Laws Demand Transparency and Consent

If you plan to screen tenants—check credit, run background checks, or verify income—you need to follow Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) regulations. That includes:

• Getting written consent from the tenant
• Being transparent about what’s being checked
• Issuing an adverse action notice if you reject an applicant based on screening results

How Landlord Studio Helps You Stay Compliant When Listing Your Rentals

Landlord Studio is designed to help you list confidently and legally.

• Use our standardized online rental application to collect consistent info from every applicant—no guesswork, no risk of asking something inappropriate.
• Run TransUnion-backed tenant screening reports with built-in consent requests and legally compliant workflows.
• In areas with special rules—like New York’s screening fee caps—we’ll bill the landlord instead of the tenant, so you stay on the right side of the law.
• And when you need clarity on local laws, our state-by-state landlord-tenant law guides help you stay informed and confident.

Whether you’re new to renting or managing a growing portfolio, we make legal compliance easier and faster.

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How To List Your Rental Property With Landlord Studio

Create a free, customizable, and legally compliant rental listing in just a few minutes, and syndicate it to top channels.

1. Create a free Landlord Studio account or log back in.
2. Create your rental listing in as little as 10 minutes.
3. Advertise your rental across top channels with syndication.
4. Start collecting and screening leads.

Stay Compliant, Save Time, and Rent Smarter with Landlord Studio

When you’re juggling multiple listings, responding to leads, and screening applicants, legal compliance might not be at the top of your to-do list — until it suddenly is. One wrong phrase in a listing or a misstep in your application process can lead to serious consequences.

That’s why Landlord Studio does more than just help you post listings. We bake compliance into every step.

With everything in one place, you don’t have to waste time chasing down forms, Googling laws, or second-guessing your process.

List smarter, stay compliant, and find the right tenant faster with Landlord Studio.