Louisiana Rental Application forms allow landlords to gather information about prospective tenants.
Investigating an applicant’s rental history, finances, income, and background may prevent you from offering a lease agreement to a tenant prone to late rent payments and property damage.
Although there are some questions you cannot ask potential tenants, the information you can collect provides a comprehensive look at what an applicant will be like as a tenant.
Louisiana Rental Application Fees
There is no limit set on Louisiana rental application fees. These are fees that landlords can charge to recover the cost of screening tenants.
In Louisiana, they are typically non-refundable even if the landlord eventually rejects an application.
What Are Louisiana’s Guidelines on Security Deposits?
No Louisiana law limits the amount of security deposit a landlord can charge each adult rental applicant.
You are also not required to:
- Provide a security deposit receipt
- Pay interest on security deposit accounts
- Hold security deposit funds separate from other accounts — though it is advisable
Louisiana law mandates that the security deposit be returned to the tenant within one month after the end of the rental agreement.
In addition, if you sell your property during the term of a rental agreement, you must transfer the deposit funds to the new owner.
They will then be responsible for maintaining these funds and returning them at the end of the original rental agreement.
Louisiana Pet Deposits
According to Louisiana law, there is no maximum deposit amount a landlord can request to offset the potential cost of damages by a tenant’s pets.
Like security deposits, however, you must return these funds per the Louisiana Lessee’s Deposit Act at the end of a rental agreement.
You have one month to return the funds minus any deductions and an itemized list of the charges for unreasonable wear and tear.
Failure to return a deposit within one month may entitle tenants to the greater of actual damages or $200.
Authorization for a Background Check
Simplify your search for qualified tenants by obtaining authorization to investigate an applicant’s background and run a credit check.
A background authorization form supplies an applicant’s permission to perform these checks. It should also capture necessary personal information and disclose how the landlord will use a prospective tenant’s information.
How To Conduct an Eviction Record Search in Louisiana
Landlords sometimes hire third-party services to search for past evictions when evaluating Louisiana rental applications.
Since these records are in the public domain, you may also locate them.
Some filings are accessible online — you can do this by following these steps:
- Open Louisiana’s Court Records Search.
- Enter the applicant’s first and last name and city.
Additional Resources for Louisiana Landlords
Start a successful Louisiana rental by screening prospective tenants thoroughly and familiarizing yourself with the state and federal laws governing rental relationships.
Fair Housing Laws in Louisiana
The Louisiana Equal Housing Opportunity Act prohibits discrimination in the rental application process.
Like the Federal Fair Housing Act, it prohibits landlords from denying applications based on the following:
- Religion
- Sex
- National origin
- Race
- Color
- Familial status
- Disability
- Natural, protective or cultural hairstyle
Louisiana’s Sex Offender Registry
Under Louisiana Revised Statutes § 14:91.9, sex offenders cannot establish residence within three miles of their victims.
Protect your interests and tenants using the State Sex Offender and Child Predator Registry.
How to Write a Rental Application
Follow the steps below to write a rental application in Louisiana.
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 Louisiana Rental Application Form
Download the example Louisiana rental application form from LegalTemplates below. If you’d like to customize your form, use our document builder.