An Arizona Rental/Lease Application is a form for requesting detailed information from prospective renters.
It can ask applicants for information related to their future tenancy, such as personal details, employment details, other sources of income, rental or residential history, banking and financial information, vehicle information, and character references.
After tenants fill out the rental application, property management companies and landlords can use the completed application to screen tenants before entering into an Arizona Lease Agreement.
The information provided in the application, including the background check consent statement, allows landlords and property management companies to perform credit checks, reference checks, criminal background checks, eviction record searches, and more.
A rental application in Arizona is also called a:
- Rental application form
- Lease application
- Tenant application form
Arizona Rental Application Fees
Application Fee
Arizona has no maximum rental application fees.
However, you should only charge rental application fees that are reasonable and approximate to the cost of running background checks, generally about $30 to $40 per application.
Pet Deposit
Landlords and property management companies in Arizona can charge tenants pet deposits to cover potential damages to the property a might cause.
Security Deposit
Landlords cannot charge more than one and one-half month’s rent for a security deposit in Arizona. However, tenants can pay more than one and one-half month’s rent in advance.
Arizona security deposits are refundable unless you state in writing that they are nonrefundable.
Authorization for Background Check
You must get their consent to perform a background check on a prospective tenant.
This permission is part of our Arizona rental application or you can get the prospective tenant to sign a separate standalone background check authorization form, which:
- Gives you express permission to perform the background check and use the results to vet tenants
- Lets you gather information about the applicant to run the background check
- Tells the tenant which checks you will run
How To Conduct an Eviction Record Search in Arizona
Tenants tend to have patterns of behavior.
They are probably not ideal tenants if they have one or multiple evictions. Remember, eviction only happens in severe cases — for example, if a tenant repeatedly refuses to pay rent or damages their landlord’s property.
That’s why you should always conduct eviction record searches in Arizona when vetting potential tenants. Eviction record searches show which tenants have evictions and how often landlords have evicted them.
To conduct an eviction record search in Arizona:
- Go to Arizona Supreme Court Case Search.
- Type in the prospective renter’s name and date of birth.
- Pick the appropriate civil case to review eviction records.
Other Resources for Landlords in Arizona
How to Write a Rental Application
Follow the steps below to write a rental application in Arizona.
Step 1 – Fill in Property Address Information
Write the date of the rental application and the address of the rental property.
Step 2 – Collect Basic Rental Applicant Information
This section provides the applicant(s) basic identifying information about themselves.
Step 3 – Collect Applicant’s Residence History
In this section, the applicant(s) provides their residence history including addresses, dates of residency, and reasons for moving.
Step 4 – Gather Applicant’s Employment History
This section is for the applicant(s) to provide current and previous employment information and other sources of income.
Step 5 – Gather Applicant’s Financial History
This section is for the applicant(s) to provide bank account and credit card information.
Step 6 – Collect References
The applicant(s) provides personal references’ names and contact information in this section.
Step 7 – Additional Questions and Verification
This section contains additional questions to determine more information about the applicant such as smoking or pets.
Sample Arizona Rental Application Form
Below is an example of a standard Arizona rental application form.
You may download this free form or use our document builder to create a customized Arizona rental application that covers all the details unique to your real estate needs.
