u/Delicious_Tip6597

I recently posted about a $1500 application fee. After getting a bit more info from the roommate, I was able to clarify that this is a lease change fee. Their lease ends on September 1st, and then I would be moving in, so they need to draft a new lease anyway. Is this common or legal at all? If my application is not accepted, they said they would refund me. But it doesn't say that if my application is accepted, where this money would go. However, I was told that this is a separate fee from a security deposit / first/last months' rent.

I'm trying to find a place to move into before September 1st, and I finally found a place that I really liked. However, when I called the property manager, they said that I would have to send a money order / physical check to them. They called it an application fee, but it coust 1500$ ?? I feel like that is ridiculous. Not to mention, I currently live in Canada, meaning I would have to send that money through the mail. Which I really don't think is a good idea? Is this normal? This is my first time dealing with property managers and stuff; all my previous renting agreements were mom-and-pop-style agreements. They did say I would be refunded if I wasn't accepted, but I still feel very uneasy about it. I've met with the roommate that I would be moving in with, so I know it isn't a scam, but still...

EDIT: Ive decided to attach the email I received from the property manager to see if that helps clear up any confusion.

"Hi, the incoming tenant would need to fill out the application form along with the consigner form, which is attached to this email. The cosigner form does have to be notarized. If they are international, they don’t need to fill out the cosigner form, but do need to provide a copy of their visa and I-20 document. A photo id also needs to be provided. There is a fee of a half a month’s rent, the current rent is $3100 so the fee would be $1550.

We only accept money order, personal check or cashier’s check made payable to "property management company name" . Payment can be physically brought or mailed to our office located at ''address''. 

Once the applications, notarized cosigner forms, and photo IDs are received, we will do the credit check to ensure that the applicant qualifies. The fee is due at the time the application is submitted. Once all paperwork and fees are collected, we can proceed on drafting the new lease and other documents.  All paperwork is submitted via DocuSign for all tenants to sign."

When I called them earlier today, they clarified that this is not a security deposit or first/last month's rent, etc. But something they charge for new roommates to do things like background checks. I don't think this is a scam; to me, it seems more likely that they're just trying to get around the fact that they can't charge broker fees anymore.