Q: Is there a fair housing law that would prevent landlords from accepting more than one application per unit at a time?
For example - I apply for rental unit today at 10am, at 1pm someone else applies, at 4pm someone else applies. The realtor takes a $60 application fee from each applicant and says he must present the owner with all applications so the owner can choose. All applicants qualify based on the qualification requirements and the owner then chooses the applicant that applied at 1pm. The other 2 applicants loose their $60 and do not have a rental although they qualified.
A: It appears that the application fee is nonrefundable, and paid for the privilege of being considered. If it is not clear in that regard, demand your money back. Otherwise, you got what you paid for.
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