Is It Normal to Pay a Deposit or Fee Before Seeing an Apartment?

The short answer

Renters ask this more than almost anything else, usually because a landlord or agent has just asked for money. The answer depends on which payment it is. Four are commonly asked for, and they are not the same.

• Application fee: often charged before or around a tour, especially by large properties that take applications online. It pays for screening and is usually not refunded.
• Holding deposit: sometimes asked for after a viewing and an application, to take the unit off the market. Its refund terms must be in writing.
• Security deposit: normally paid when you sign the lease or accept the unit, not before you have seen it.
• First month's rent: normally paid at signing or move-in, not to secure a place you have not seen.

Decision flow: three questions before you pay

Work through these in order. Each ends in an action, not a verdict: pay, ask for more, or wait.

• 1. What is the payment for, and is that written down? If yes, and it is an application fee or a holding deposit with written refund terms, go to question 2. If not yet, ask for the name of the payment, the amount, what it covers and whether it is refundable, in writing.
• 2. Can you see the unit, in person, on a live video tour you direct, or through someone you trust? If yes, go to question 3. If not yet, ask for a viewing before any deposit or rent; an application fee alone may still be reasonable at a large property.
• 3. Do the amount, the payment method and the person receiving it match the listing and your state's rule? If yes, pay by a method that leaves a record and keep the receipt. If not, ask why before sending anything.

Application fee before a tour: often normal, limited in some states

Many properties ask for the application fee before or around the tour because screening starts when you apply. Zillow reports a typical application fee of about $50, paid by 79% of recent renters (https://www.zillow.com/learn/how-much-are-apartment-application-fees/). What matters is the amount, what it covers and who receives it. The application fee before viewing guide in More renter guides on this page goes into the detail.

What state law says about application fees

Some states limit what an application or screening fee can be, or require a refund if no screening is done. Here are seven, with the statute for each. None of these rules bars a fee before a viewing; they set the amount and the paper trail. State rules change, so read the linked text.

• New York: no processing fee; a background or credit check fee may be the actual cost or $20, whichever is less (https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/RPP/238-A).
• California: a screening fee limited to actual costs up to a capped, inflation-adjusted amount, refundable if no screening is done (https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=1950.6.&lawCode=CIV).
• Massachusetts: application fees are effectively not allowed; the up-front charges are limited to first month, last month, a security deposit and a lock change (https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartII/TitleI/Chapter186/Section15B).
• Virginia: an application fee of up to $50 plus actual third-party costs (https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title55.1/chapter12/section55.1-1203/).
• Washington: a screening fee only after written notice of what it covers, and not above the customary cost (https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=59.18.257).
• Minnesota: the landlord must disclose the screening service and criteria and refund the fee if no screening is done (https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/504B.173).
• Maryland: at properties with five or more units, a fee above $25 may be kept only for actual costs (https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=grp&section=8-213&enactments=false).

If the landlord cannot show you the place

Owners do move away and use agents or video tours, so a remote landlord is not proof of anything. It is, though, the most common reason renters are asked to pay for a place they have not seen, and the FTC notes that people running rental scams avoid showing the unit in person. Ask for a live video tour that you direct, ask a local friend or an agent to visit, look up the owner of record in county property records, and ask for the lease before you pay a deposit or rent.

• Messages you may see: "I am currently out of state", "I will mail the keys after you pay", "many people are interested, I need the deposit today".

If they ask for a wire, app payment or gift card

Wire transfers, payment apps sent to a personal name, gift cards and cryptocurrency are hard or impossible to reverse. According to the FTC's December 2025 Data Spotlight on rental scams (https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/data-visualizations/data-spotlight/2025/12/rental-scams-hit-home-65-million-reported-losses), about half of people who reported a rental scam said it began with a Facebook ad and 16% on Craigslist, and the median reported loss was $1,000. Read the payment instructions closely, prefer a method with dispute rights, confirm the instructions by phoning a number you found yourself, and ask for a receipt naming the amount, the unit and the purpose.

Message you can send the landlord

Hi [name], I am keen on [unit]. I would like to see it first (in person or on a live video tour) and read the lease before I pay. Could you tell me: what the payment you are asking for is called and what it covers; the amount; whether it is refundable and when; the payment method and the name on the account; and when I can see the unit? Once I have those in writing, I can move quickly. Thanks, [your name].

Questions renters ask