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Rental Application Template

Fill in your property address, rent, deposit and application fee below, then print this rental application or save it as a PDF. It covers the applicant, everyone who will live in the unit, current and previous landlords, employment and income, pets, vehicles, references, rental history and a signed authorization for a credit and background check. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

Make your rental application

Fill in your property details (all optional), then print the application or save it as a PDF. Leave everything blank for a generic form.

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Rental Application

Each adult (18 or older) who will live in the unit fills out a separate application.

Rental property

Property address and unit

Monthly rent

Security deposit

Available on

Lease term

Desired move-in date

Landlord or manager

Applicant

Full legal name

Other names used

Date of birth

Phone

Driver's license or ID number and state

Social Security number (for the credit check)

Everyone who will live in the unit

Include yourself and any children.

Name	Relationship to you	18 or older? (yes or no)

Current address

Street, city, state, ZIP

Dates lived there (from and to)

Monthly rent or mortgage

Landlord's name and phone

Reason for moving

Previous address

Street, city, state, ZIP

Dates lived there (from and to)

Monthly rent or mortgage

Landlord's name and phone

Reason for moving

Employment and income

Current employer

Position

Supervisor name and phone

Start date

Gross monthly income

Other income (source and monthly amount)

Pets

Type	Breed	Weight	Age

Vehicles

Make and model	Year	Color	License plate and state

References

Name	Phone	Relationship

Emergency contact

Name

Phone

Relationship

Rental history

Have you ever been evicted? (yes or no; if yes, explain)

Have you ever broken a lease? (yes or no; if yes, explain)

Does anyone who will live in the unit smoke? (yes or no)

Application fee

Paid by (cash, check, money order, other)

Authorization and signature

I certify that the information in this application is true and complete. I authorize the landlord or manager to verify it, including by obtaining a consumer report (credit and background check) and by contacting my current and previous landlords and employers, to evaluate this application for housing.

Applicant signature

Date

Equal housing opportunity. The landlord does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or disability, or any other characteristic protected by state or local law.

What a rental application should ask

Who the applicant is and how to reach them, plus ID details for the credit and background check.
Everyone who will live in the unit. Have every adult fill out their own application.
Current and previous addresses with landlord contacts, so you can check rental history.
Employer, income and other income, so you can confirm they can pay the rent.
Pets, vehicles, references and an emergency contact.
A signed authorization to run a credit and background check and contact landlords and employers.

What it should not ask

The federal Fair Housing Act bars housing discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status and disability (HUD). Many states and cities protect more characteristics, so this template asks nothing about any of them. It asks only whether each occupant is 18 or older, so you know who needs to apply.

If you turn someone down because of a credit or background report

The FTC says that if you deny an application, require a co-signer or a bigger deposit, or charge more rent based even partly on a consumer report, you must tell the applicant. The notice has to name the company that supplied the report, say that the company did not make the decision, and explain the applicant's right to dispute the report and to get a free copy within 60 days. You also need a permissible purpose to pull a report; renting housing counts, and the signed authorization on this form documents it.

Application fees

Some states cap what you can charge. In New York, for example, Real Property Law section 238-a limits background and credit check fees to the actual cost or $20, whichever is less, and you must waive the fee if the applicant gives you a check done in the past 30 days. Check your state and local rules before you set a fee.

Screening online instead

Most landlord apps can send the application, collect the fee from the applicant and run the screening for you. See what each one charges for tenant screening. Once a tenant moves in, use the prorated rent calculator for the first month and the rent receipt generator for cash payments.

Frequently asked questions

What should be on a rental application?

The applicant's name and contact details, ID details for screening, everyone who will live in the unit, current and previous addresses with landlord contacts, employer and income, pets, vehicles, references, an emergency contact, rental history questions and a signed authorization for a credit and background check.

Is this rental application template free?

Yes. It runs in your browser, nothing you type is sent or stored, and you can print it or save it as a PDF from the print dialog.

What questions can't a landlord ask on a rental application?

Under the federal Fair Housing Act a landlord cannot discriminate based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or disability, and many states and cities protect more characteristics. Leave questions about any of them off the application.

How much can a landlord charge for a rental application?

It depends on the state and city. New York, for example, caps background and credit check fees at the actual cost or $20, whichever is less. Check your local rules.