Reusable tenant screening reports: do you have to accept one, and what can you charge?

What is a reusable tenant screening report?

It is a consumer report, the same kind of document a landlord would order, that the applicant pays for and carries from one application to the next. The idea is that an applicant who applies to five units does not pay for five credit, eviction and criminal checks, and each landlord does not run its own.

California defines it in Civil Code 1950.1(e)(6). A reusable tenant screening report there is a consumer report that was prepared within the previous 30 days by a consumer reporting agency at the request and expense of the applicant, that is made directly available to the landlord (or through a qualifying third-party website), and that is available to the landlord at no cost to access or use. If any of those three is missing, the rules below do not apply to that report.

Does a California landlord have to accept one?

No. Section 1950.1(c) lets a landlord elect to accept a reusable report, and subsection (h) says the section does not require a landlord to accept one. A landlord who accepts may require the applicant to confirm there has been no material change to the report since it was prepared.

The trade is the fee. Under 1950.1(d), if an applicant gives a reusable report to a landlord who accepts them, the landlord may not charge the applicant a fee to access the report, and may not charge an application screening fee. The law can be amended, so read the current text of Civil Code 1950.1 before you write your policy.

What does Washington require?

Washington calls it a "comprehensive reusable tenant screening report" in RCW 59.18.257. The statute does not say you must accept one. It says that before you obtain any information about a prospective tenant, you must notify them in writing, or by posting, of (among other things) whether or not you will accept a comprehensive reusable tenant screening report, and that if you say you will accept one, you may still access your own screening report on the applicant as long as the applicant is not charged for it.

Subsection (2) adds a website rule: a landlord who maintains a website advertising the rental of a dwelling unit, or serving as a source of information for current or prospective tenants, must include a statement on the property's home page saying whether or not the landlord will accept a comprehensive reusable tenant screening report made available by a consumer reporting agency.

The same section also limits what you may charge. You may charge the applicant for the cost of obtaining a screening report only if you gave the written notice first. If you do your own screening, you may charge your actual costs, and the amount may not exceed the customary costs charged by a screening service in the general area. If you take adverse action, you must give a written notice that states the reasons, and a landlord who breaks subsection (1) may be liable to the prospective tenant for an amount not to exceed $100, and the prevailing party may also recover court costs and reasonable attorney's fees.

How should a small landlord set the policy?

Pick one of two rules in writing and use it for every applicant at a property. Either you accept reusable reports that meet your state's definition, or you do not. Taking a report from one applicant and refusing it from the next, or waiving the fee for some, is the kind of uneven treatment that gets a landlord into trouble under fair housing law.

1. Decide yes or no, and write it in your screening criteria.
2. If yes, say what you need: a report dated within your state's window, ordered by the applicant from a consumer reporting agency, and a signed statement that nothing in it has changed.
3. If you accept it, drop the screening fee for that applicant in California, and in Washington give the written notice first and keep any charge you make within the rules above.
4. Put the answer in your written screening notice and, in Washington, on the property home page if you run a rental website.
5. Read the report the same way you read one you ordered, and send an adverse action notice if it is the reason you decline.

Example a made-up landlord in California normally charges a $40 application screening fee. An applicant arrives with a reusable report dated 12 days ago and signs that nothing has changed. The landlord has said in writing that reports like this are accepted, so the fee and the access fee for this applicant are $0. The next applicant who does not bring a report is still charged the $40 the landlord lawfully collects.

What about other states?

This guide covers only California and Washington. Other states may have their own rules, so check your state's landlord-tenant statute, and if the report is something you rely on, still treat it as a consumer report: you need a permissible purpose, and a decline based on it needs the notice described in the adverse action guide.

How DoorKeeping handles it

DoorKeeping runs screening through Checkr, and where your state's cap allows it the applicant pays Checkr on Checkr's own page, so DoorKeeping never sees a Social Security number. You write one screening rule for the property, nothing is decided automatically, and you approve or decline every applicant yourself with one tap. DoorKeeping gives general information, not legal advice. Check the current statute and talk to a local attorney if a case is contested.

Sources

1. California Civil Code 1950.1, reusable tenant screening reports (FindLaw), read Oct 31, 2026
2. RCW 59.18.257, Screening of prospective tenants (Washington State Legislature), read Oct 31, 2026

Questions

What is a reusable tenant screening report?

A consumer report the applicant orders and pays for, then shares with several landlords. In California it must be prepared within the previous 30 days and be free for the landlord to access.

Can a California landlord charge a screening fee if the applicant brings a reusable report?

Not if the landlord accepts reusable reports. Civil Code 1950.1(d) bars both an access fee and an application screening fee for that applicant.

Does Washington make landlords accept reusable screening reports?

The statute does not require acceptance. It requires the landlord to say in writing (or by posting) before screening, and on the property home page if the landlord runs a rental website, whether reusable reports are accepted.