Rental fee bill

On July 1, my rental fee bill went into effect. All leases signed after this date must comply with the new law. Here’s what you need to know:

• Landlords must disclose any fees they plan to charge tenants in a lease agreement, or give tenants 30 days’ notice in writing of any change in fees.

• Fees in an amount more than what’s in a rental agreement cannot be charged.

• Fees must be reasonable - i.e. related to actual costs to the landlord and in line with general industry practices.

• If landlords charge a fee that is not in a lease, greater than what’s in a lease (and written notice of a change has not been provided), and/or a fee that could be deemed as unreasonable, a tenant may take their landlord to small claims court to recoup the fee. Instructions to file a small claim can be found on each county court’s website. You do not need to have an attorney represent you in small claims court. The cost to file a claim in Ada County is $69.

• It’s legal to have an oral lease agreement in Idaho. If the agreement is not written down, the fees do not have to be written either. However, the fees must still be reasonable.

Please let me know if you have any other questions about the implications of this new law!