Rental Application Form

A Rental Application is a document landlords and property managers use to screen prospective tenants before they sign a lease agreement and move into a rental, including a room, home, or apartment rental.

A well-written rental application helps property owners assess whether or not a tenant is trustworthy and responsible.

Rental Application – By State

Table of Contents

• Rental Application - By State
• What is a Rental Application?
• Rental Application Examples
• How to Approve or Decline a Rental Application
• What Happens After Approving Rental Applications?
• How to Write a Rental Application
• Rental Application Sample
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is a Rental Application?

Commonly known as a Lease Application, a rental application is the standard operating procedure before a tenant signs a Lease Agreement and moves into a dwelling unit.

With obtaining a filled-out application form, landlords and property managers may charge a non-refundable rental application fee to cover the cost of background (including criminal history), credit checks, and a rental history inquiry.

You can save yourself from trouble later (i.e., possible eviction proceedings if tenants violate the terms of your lease agreements) when you put in the time to find a reliable renter by using a lease application form.

Rental Application Examples

Below are several examples of types of rental applications for landlords. Review these examples below if you wonder what a tenant application looks like.

Depending on your renting property, you may need to use a specific tenant application form.

1. Basic Rental Application Form

This is an example of a basic Rental Application you can use to gather information to run background and credit checks for any leased property (also use our Background Check Authorization Form to get permission to run a background check, including criminal history).

In this simple rental application example, the tenant disclosed pertinent personal information like name, date of birth, social security number, and information about additional occupants.

Each additional rental application for the same unit should also request the applicant sign off on a credit and background check (with a criminal history). 

Note that there is space on the basic application to collect a tenant’s residence history and employment information, which you can use with an Employment Verification Letter or IRS Form 1040 to verify income.

2. Apartment Rental Application Form

The Apartment Application Form sample below includes information the prospective tenant provided. 

When considering how to fill out an apartment application, remember the tenant details section contains all the required information for a landlord to consider the applicant for the apartment unit (such as full name, date of birth, social security number, and rental history).

The applicant has agreed to a $50 rental application fee (to cover screening reports) in this standard application.

3. House Rental Application Form

There is much to consider when evaluating potential home rental tenants. So, using a House Rental Application Form like the one below is helpful. 

In our example, the landlord used a home rental application to collect relevant information about the potential tenant (such as full name, date of birth, and social security number) to run screening reports and research the applicant’s financial and rental history.

4. Room Rental Application Form

If you plan to rent a room in your home, select the right person.

The property owner in our Room Rental Application Form example below used the application to collect information to run screening reports that help landlords decide if a prospective tenant is reliable and trustworthy.

How to Approve or Decline a Rental Application

Once you run checks like credit reports (and general and criminal) background reports and choose applicants based on your rental applications, inform your new tenants that you accepted their application by sending a Rental Application Approval Letter.

Selecting the wrong tenant to rent your property could lead to missed rent payments, damages, troublesome eviction processes, and legal issues.

Do your due diligence and protect yourself by asking prospective tenants to fill out a simple rental application.

Also, ensure you file the completed application forms in a secure location – especially if you have asked candidates to provide their Social Security numbers or other personal information.

What Happens After Approving Rental Applications?

After approving rental applications, it is time to prepare the lease agreements for your new tenants.

When beginning this process, landlords should familiarize themselves with the following:

• Landlord-tenant rights and responsibilities (as governed by state)
• State rental laws
• Security deposit regulations (landlords typically collect security deposits upon signing lease agreements)

Additionally, be prepared with the following documents for use, or potential use, during the tenancy:

• Rent Receipt
• Late Rent Notice
• Notice to Vacate
• Eviction Notice Form
• Early Lease Termination Letter

How to Write a Rental Application

Standard applications to rent residential property address the following points as first steps:

Step 1 – Fill in Property Address Information

On the top of your application, include the following:

1. Date of Application

2. Property Address

Step 2 – Enter Basic Applicant Personal Information

Before anything else, your basic rental application form should ask the applicant to provide identifying important information:

3. Full Name

4. Date of Birth

5. Social Security number

6. Phone number(s)

7. Email address

8. Driver’s license number

On a basic tenant rental application, the potential renter must also mention other proposed residents of the premises and their relationship with the applicant.

Step 3 – Collect Tenant Rental History

Reviewing applicants’ residence history gives you insight into what kind of tenants they may be.

Request the following important information about potential tenants’ past residence(s):

9. Full address, including city, state, and zip code 

10. Dates of residency (i.e., when they moved in and moved out)

11. Rent price, due date, and payment conditions (e.g., paid in full, in cash, etc.)

12. Reasons for moving (including whether they were asked to move out)

13. Landlord/manager name and contact information

Get your tenant to fill out this information for previous addresses to cover as many years as appropriate.

14. Prior evictions

15. Prior broken leases

Step 4 – Gather Tenant Employment History

Considering you will collect rent, you should ensure an applicant can pay it reliably. A rental application form is a great way to assess the applicant’s financial stability.

Make sure your application form asks prospective tenants for the following information about their work history:

16. Current employer plus position at the company

17. Company address and phone number

18. Name of supervisor

19. Duration of employment

20. Monthly pay 

Collect this information for previous employers to cover as many years as appropriate.

21. Have your applicant provide information about additional annual or monthly income sources.

*Note – Applicants can provide recent pay stubs, W2 forms, employment offer letters, or an employment verification letter as proof of income.

Step 5 – Enter Tenant Credit History

Some landlords require applicants to consent to a renters credit check to consider their application for a property.

Although a credit report from Equifax, Experian, or Trans Union is helpful, other credit references can supplement a property application.

The following information helps you adequately review an applicant’s credit:

22. Bank account details and credit card statements

Additionally, you should request the following:

• Letters from former landlords confirming regular rent payments
• Institutions at which the applicant has accounts, as well as their current balances
• Social Security number or ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) (one of these is necessary to run a credit check)
• Consent to a credit check

Certain states limit or prohibit rental application fees (refer to the chart below). 

Maximum Residential Rental Application Fees

Alternatively, you can hire a third-party company to request a credit check from your prospective tenant(s) and charge the applicant directly for this service.

Using an outside credit application service addresses a tenant’s concern about providing sensitive information on your application, such as their Social Security number.

Step 6 – Get Tenant References

Your residential lease application should ask renters to include references, preferably past landlords or neighbors.

Applicants should also provide the following information:

23. Name of reference

24. Contact information

25. Relationship with the applicant

Step 7 – Conduct Tenant Background Check

Many landlords ask applicants to consent to a general and criminal background check and fill out a residential rental application.

The information provided in a background check varies depending on the service provider but usually includes the following:

• Personal details
• Income statements
• Credit report(s)
• Criminal background record report
• Eviction record report
• Fraud indicator report
• Employment history
• Public record check
• Rental history check
• National Sex Offender Registry check

Take these steps to run a background check:

a. Ensure the tenant has completed the application

b. Applicant and landlord sign application

c. Pull a credit report (check the applicant’s credit score and history)

d. Order a rental history report (did the applicant pay rent on time?)

e. Conduct employment verification (is the applicant employed, and when was the start date?)

f. Reach out to references, including previous landlords

g. Check the National Sex Offender Registry

h. Check your state’s public website for sex offenders

Federal and State Sex Offender Registry Public Websites

Step 8 – Additional Questions and Verifications

The rest of an excellent application to rent includes background information questions about the property or tenant’s behavior.

Common questions that should appear on your rental application include the following:

26. Other occupants in the property?

27. Vehicle information (including the make, model, year, color, mileage, and license plate number)?

28. Pets?

29. Smoking?

30. Other information

• Why is the applicant looking to move?
• Whether the applicant(s) smoke
• Estimated length of stay
• If the applicant(s) has filed for bankruptcy
• Eviction history
• Problems with past landlords/current landlord
• Any severe credit issues or criminal background? 
• Is there a co-signer or a guarantor who will also be responsible for the rent?

31. Emergency Contact Information

Some candidates for your rental property may include a cover letter with their application to stand out among your applications.

In this scenario and throughout the application process, remember that some states impose restrictions on landlords who use an application for a rental property to screen tenants. 

For example, a landlord can ask about an applicant’s source and income level on a California Rental Application. Still, he cannot discriminate based on their source of income or specific other criteria.

Moreover, the landlord can reject the candidate if an applicant fails to disclose complete or accurate information on a Texas Rental Application.

Federal and State Fair Housing Laws

What Else is On a Rental Application Form?

Note that the candidate’s signature on the rental lease application acts as a certification they are telling the truth and that they give the landlord authorization to verify information on the form, such as contacting rental, employment, and personal references.

At the end of your rental application form, include authorization to run a credit and background check. 

After gathering all the necessary information, including a rental application fee, you and the applicant (and co-signer, if necessary) should sign and date the rental property application.

Rental Application Sample

Below, you can find what a residential rental application typically looks like.

Download this rental application PDF or Word document, or use our builder to create a customized application form based on your unique situation.

rental application

You can use this free rental application for an apartment, house, or room.

Remember, it can be challenging for candidates to fill out their rental applications on-site.

Consider sending a PDF & Word rental application via e-mail so applicants can collect all the required information and submit the form at leisure.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)