A bill introduced in the state Legislature would require rental housing owners across California to accept portable tenant screening reports and prohibit owners from charging application fees when those reports are provided by an applicant.

A portable tenant screening report is a credit report that an individual tenant can purchase from a screening service and share with multiple rental property owners.

AB 1963 by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, D-Inglewood, remains in the early stages of the legislative process. According to the bill’s fact sheet, the measure would require portable tenant screening reports to be accepted by rental property owners during a 45-day period. The owner would be prohibited from charging the applicant any additional fees for screening.

Supporters say the measure would make apartment hunting more affordable by letting renters reuse screening documents instead of paying separate fees for each unit. The bill’s fact sheet argues that screening and application costs can become a barrier to housing, particularly for lower-income applicants.

The California Apartment Association is opposing the bill. In a March 25, 2026, coalition letter joined by real estate and business groups, the association argued the measure would restrict housing providers’ ability to independently verify applicant information. They contended that screening is a core risk-management function and that landlords often absorb costs beyond the current screening fee allowed by California law to independently review documents and guard against fraud.

They further argue that the bill is unnecessary because AB 2493, enacted in 2024, already addressed application-fee concerns by limiting when screening fees can be charged and requiring screening fee refunds in some cases. For housing providers, the practical effect of AB 1963 would be a more prescriptive application process with added compliance requirements and less flexibility in screening prospective tenants. They argue that mandatory acceptance of portable reports would slow application processing, create administrative burdens, and make it harder for landlords to verify applicant information and recover screening-related costs.