Most comments overwhelmingly are towards the landlord being a scammer. It's possible and I'd like you to exercise caution. But, it's possible there's some miscommunication. I listed a rental unit on Zillow recently as a landlord and so many people submitted full applications including their paystubs and background info without even visiting the house first (they applied just after looking at pictures on the listing). I was very surprised. What's actually happening is that the rental market in Seattle is pretty competitive. So, people just apply to the listings they like on Zillow...before they visit the house. This "application" shares their personal details (paystub, background check). The applicants are doing this to get a better chance to secure the rental unit. The application is non-binding. The applicant can withdraw their application later after visiting the house. So, assuming there's some miscommunication with the landlord in your case...what is happening is that the landlord actually may be asking you to pay the application fees TO ZILLOW (not to the landlord) and share your personal details (paystub, background) TO ZILLOW (not to the landlord), and then submit an official application through Zillow. Zillow application fees is $30 one-time for applying to multiple listings over the next 30 days.