What Is a Rental Application Form?

A rental application is the form each adult applicant completes so you can confirm identity, income, and rental history and, with the applicant's signed authorization, order credit and background reports. Use one written form for every applicant and hand it out with your screening criteria. Leave off questions the law bars: federal rules forbid asking whether an applicant has a disability, and some states and cities bar questions about immigration status or about criminal history before you make a conditional offer.

What should a rental application ask?

Ask each adult who will live in the unit to complete a separate application with these sections:

Skip bank account and card numbers, which you do not need to screen. Ask for recent bank statements with account numbers blacked out if you use them to verify income. In California, when an applicant cannot give a Social Security number or driver's license number, accept another government-issued photo ID, such as a passport, so you can verify identity without asking about immigration status. Also in California, an applicant who pays rent from income other than a job must be allowed to verify that income. Verifying income and employment lists the documents to request.

Why use one written form and signed consent?

Asking everyone the same questions in writing gives you the record to show that you applied the same standards to each person, and gives you facts to check against the reports.

• Consistency. If you ask one applicant about employment and skip the question for another, you have treated them differently. One form removes that gap.
• Consent. The Fair Credit Reporting Act lets you order a consumer report on a person who applies to rent, and the FTC notes that written permission from the applicant also establishes that purpose. If your screening company requires its own authorization form or wording, build it into the application. Where to get an applicant's credit report covers ordering it.
• Cross-checking. Addresses, employers, and names on the form should match what reports and references show. A mismatch is a reason to ask follow-up questions in writing.
• State notice rules. Washington requires you to tell applicants in writing, before you collect information, what you will check, what can lead to denial, and whether you accept comprehensive reusable tenant screening reports. If you use a consumer report, include the reporting agency's name and address, the applicant's right to a free copy after denial or another adverse action, and the right to dispute inaccurate information. You must provide this notice to charge screening costs. Starting January 1, 2027, Colorado requires every rental application to describe the information you will check, the factors you will weigh, and the name of any screening company you use.

If you charge a fee for processing the application, state the amount on the form. Charging an application screening fee covers state caps and refund rules.

Which questions can't you ask on a rental application?

Federal limits. The Fair Housing Act bars treating applicants differently because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability, so leave out questions about those traits, such as religion, country of birth, pregnancy, or plans to have children. You may not ask whether an applicant has a disability or about its nature or severity. You may ask every applicant whether they can meet the lease requirements, whether they currently use illegal drugs, and whether they have been convicted of illegally making or distributing a controlled substance.

State and local limits. Common examples:

Check your city and county for local fair chance or screening ordinances before you print the form. Unlawful discrimination in the rental application process covers how these rules apply to your decision.

How should you store applicants' personal data?

A completed application holds a Social Security number, a birth date, and income records. The FTC's guidance for businesses that keep this kind of data applies to landlords:

1. Collect only what you use. Ask for a Social Security number only to order screening reports, not as a file number.
2. Lock it up. Keep paper applications in a locked cabinet. Store digital files in an encrypted account protected by a strong password and multi-factor authentication, and limit access to the people who make the rental decision.
3. Keep files for a set period. An applicant has 2 years to file a federal fair housing lawsuit, so keep each application, the reports, and your decision notes for at least that long.
4. Destroy them securely. The FTC requires secure disposal of consumer report information: shred or burn paper, and wipe electronic files so they cannot be read or reconstructed.

What qualities make a good tenant covers how to weigh the answers once applications come in.