HUD Housing Programs: Tenants’ Rights (The Green Book): 6.3.4.6 Application Fees
HUD’s policy regarding application fees is clear: except in the case of a cooperative,
[a]n owner must not charge applicants for costs associated with accepting and processing applications, screening applicants or verifying income and eligibility. Hence, owners must not require applicants to pay application fees, credit report charges, charges for home visits, charges to obtain a police report(s) or other costs associated with the above functions.203