Free rental application form

A rental application form collects an applicant's identity, residence history, employment and income, and references, and includes their signed authorization for the screening you plan to run. Fill in your property, rent, fee and screening below, then print a four-page packet that applicants complete by hand, one per adult.

Last reviewed: 2026-10-26 · by MakeLease Editorial Team

Landlord or property manager

Landlord or manager name (required)

Phone

Property and fees

Property address and unit (required)

Monthly rent

Application fee (optional)

Leave empty if you don't charge one. Some states and cities cap application fees or require receipts or refunds of unused screening costs.

Screening

Screening you will do

The applicant's authorization on the last page lists exactly these items.

Minimum requirements (optional)

Write down only criteria you apply the same way to every applicant. Some states and cities require you to disclose screening criteria in advance.

Where to return the application

Form options

Social Security number

Many screening services have the applicant enter their SSN directly, so you never hold it on paper.

Ask for date of birth (used to match screening records to the right person)

Print an equal housing opportunity statement

Blank PDF

Free, no account needed. Showing example details. Replace them with yours.

Rental Application

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

Property and landlord

Property address:123 Maple Street, Unit 4, Springfield

Monthly rent:$1,650

Landlord or manager:Jordan Lee

Phone / email:(555) 014-2290 / jordan.lee@example.com

Application fee: $40 per applicant, payable when you submit this application.

Rental criteria

Gross household income of at least 3 times the monthly rent (all income sources count). No unpaid balance owed to a prior landlord. We review applications in the order they are complete.

Screening we will do

[checked] Credit report
[checked] Eviction records
[checked] Rental history verification
[checked] Employment/income verification

Return your completed application: Email a scan or photo to jordan.lee@example.com, or drop it off at 123 Maple Street, Unit 1.

Equal housing opportunity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability, or any other characteristic protected by state or local law. If you have a disability and need a reasonable accommodation in the application process or in our rules, tell us.

1. Applicant

Full legal name:

Other names used:

Date of birth:

SSN or ITIN (for credit check):

Driver's license or ID no. / state:

Desired move-in date:

2. Contact

Mobile phone:

Other phone:

Email:

Preferred contact method:

3. Co-applicants and other occupants

Everyone who will live in the unit. Each adult also completes an application.
Name	Relationship to you	18 or older? (Y/N)	Separate application? (Y/N)

4. Residence history

Current address and the two before it.
	Address	From / to (month, year)	Landlord name and phone	Monthly rent	Reason for leaving
Current
Previous
Previous

5. Employment and income

	Employer and address	Position	Supervisor and phone	Start date	Gross monthly income
Current
Previous

Other income you want considered (optional)
Source	Gross monthly amount	How it can be verified

6. References

Not relatives or current landlords listed above.
Name	Relationship	Phone	Email

7. Emergency contact

Name:

Relationship:

Phone:

Email:

8. Vehicles

Make and model	Year	Color	License plate / state

9. Pets

Type and breed	Name	Approx. weight	Age

Assistance animals (service animals and support animals for a person with a disability) are not pets. Do not list them here. If you need an assistance animal, ask us for a reasonable accommodation; pet rules and pet fees do not apply to it.

10. Rental history questions

Question	Yes	No
Has a court entered an eviction judgment against you in a case brought by a landlord?
Do you owe money to a current or former landlord?
Have you ended a lease early without the landlord's agreement?
Will anyone not listed in section 3 live in the unit?

If you answered yes, or there is anything you want us to consider about your history, explain here (optional).
Explanation

11. Authorization and certification

I authorize Jordan Lee and their agents to obtain credit reports and eviction and court-record reports about me from consumer reporting agencies, and to verify the information on this application, my rental history with current and former landlords, and my employment and income with my employers and income sources, for the purpose of evaluating this rental application.
If my application is denied or approved on different terms (for example, with a co-signer, a higher deposit, or higher rent) based in whole or in part on a consumer report, I will receive a notice naming the reporting company and explaining my right to a free copy of the report and to dispute its accuracy.
I certify that the information I have given on this application is true and complete. I understand that false or incomplete information may be grounds for denying my application or, if discovered later, may be a breach of the lease.
Submitting this application does not create a lease. No lease exists until both parties sign one.
I understand the application fee is $40 per applicant.

Applicant printed name:

Applicant signature

Date

For landlord use

Date received:

Fee received (amount, method):

Decision and date:

Adverse action notice sent (date):

What to include in a rental application

Your details and the unit. Landlord or manager name and contact, the property address and unit, and the monthly rent, so the applicant knows exactly what they are applying for.
The application fee, if you charge one. State the amount per applicant up front. Fee caps and refund rules vary by state and city; check your state landlord-tenant law guide.
Your written rental criteria. Income, rental history and other requirements, written down and applied the same way to every applicant.
Residence, employment and income history. Current and two previous addresses with landlord contacts, current and previous employers, and other income the applicant wants counted.
Occupants, vehicles and pets. Everyone who will live there, with a note that assistance animals are not pets.
A signed authorization and certification. Consent to the specific screening you will do (credit, background, eviction records, rental and employment verification) and a statement that the information is true.

How much notice is required?

No notice period applies to a rental application, and federal law sets no deadline for deciding on one. The timing rule that does apply comes after your decision: if you deny the application, or approve it on worse terms, based in whole or in part on a consumer report, you must give the applicant an adverse action notice. The notice must name the consumer reporting agency with its address and phone number, say that the agency did not make the decision, and explain the applicant's right to a free copy of the report if they ask within 60 days and to dispute inaccurate information (15 U.S.C. 1681m(a); FTC, Using Consumer Reports: What Landlords Need to Know).

The statute allows the notice orally, in writing or electronically, but the FTC calls written notice the best practice because it proves you gave it.

Some states and cities add their own timing and fee rules, such as how quickly you must respond, when you must return unused screening fees, or what criteria you must publish before taking applications. These vary by state and sometimes by city; check your state landlord-tenant law guide.

When you owe an adverse action notice

"Adverse action" covers more than a flat denial. The FTC lists requiring a co-signer, a larger deposit, or higher rent than another applicant would pay as adverse actions too. A notice is required whenever a consumer report contributed to the decision, even if it was not the main reason (FTC).

Your decision after screening	Report played a part?	Adverse action notice?
Approve on your standard terms	Yes or no	No
Deny the application	Yes	Yes
Approve only with a co-signer	Yes	Yes
Approve with a larger deposit or higher rent than others pay	Yes	Yes
Deny because you called the employer yourself and could not confirm income	No	The 1681m(a) notice is tied to consumer reports; keep written notes on why

A report from a reference-checking service that contacts previous landlords or employers for you is itself a consumer report, so a denial based on it does trigger the notice (FTC). If a credit score was used, the notice must also disclose the score and related information (15 U.S.C. 1681m(a)(2)). Your screening company usually provides a template. The CFPB explains the same rights from the renter's side (CFPB, What is a tenant screening report?).

Worked example: you pick credit report, eviction records and rental history in the generator. The authorization on the last page then reads "obtain credit reports and eviction and court-record reports about me from consumer reporting agencies, and ... verify ... my rental history." If you later add a criminal background check, tick it here and reprint so the consent matches what you actually run.

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, a consumer reporting agency may furnish a report to someone with a legitimate business need in connection with a business transaction initiated by the consumer (15 U.S.C. 1681b(a)(3)(F)(i)). A rental application is that kind of transaction. The FTC adds that you must certify to the screening company that you will use the report only for housing purposes, and that written permission from the applicant helps establish your permissible purpose (FTC).

This form generates the authorization from your screening choices, so it lists only the reports you selected. Each adult signs their own page. Keep signed applications in a secure place. The FTC says you must securely dispose of the report and any information you gathered from it when you are done with it (FTC), and pages with an SSN or date of birth deserve the same care.

Fair housing: what to ask and what to leave off

The Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful to refuse to rent, or to make any statement or notice indicating a preference or limitation, based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap (disability), familial status, or national origin (42 U.S.C. 3604). An application is a "statement" under that section, so the questions themselves matter. Many states and cities protect additional characteristics; see your state landlord-tenant law guide.

Fine to ask every applicant	Leave off the application
Income, employer, and how to verify them	Whether the applicant has a disability, or its nature or severity (24 CFR 100.202(c))
Prior addresses, landlord contacts, eviction judgments	Religion, race, or country of origin
Who will live in the unit	Pregnancy or plans to have children
Whether they can meet the requirements of tenancy (24 CFR 100.202(c))	Arrests that did not lead to a conviction

HUD's regulation lists the disability-related inquiries that are allowed, and only if you ask them of all applicants (24 CFR 100.202(c)). Refusing a reasonable accommodation, such as an exception to a no-pets rule for an assistance animal, is a separate violation (42 U.S.C. 3604(f)(3)(B); 24 CFR 100.204). That is why the pets section tells applicants not to list assistance animals.

On criminal history, the FTC warns that a blanket policy of refusing anyone with a criminal record may conflict with the Fair Housing Act (FTC). HUD's 2016 Office of General Counsel guidance on criminal records, which many screening guides still cite, was withdrawn effective September 25, 2025 (HUD notice, Federal Register, July 17, 2026). The statute itself did not change. Some cities and states limit when and how you may ask about criminal history, so this form asks no criminal history question and leaves any background check to the authorization.

Delivery tips

Give every applicant the same packet. Same pages, same criteria, same fee. Reprint if you change anything, and date the version you hand out.
Review in a consistent order. Note the date and time each complete application arrives in the "For landlord use" box on the last page.
Protect sensitive data. Don't leave completed applications in a mailbox or shared inbox. Consider using the SSN option that lets applicants enter it directly with your screening company.
Keep a record of your decision. Store the application, the report, and a copy of any adverse action notice together. When you approve, move on to the lease with the free lease agreement generator, and see the other free landlord forms.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need the applicant's permission to run a credit or background check?

Federal law lets a landlord get a consumer report when there is a permissible purpose, such as a rental the applicant has applied for. The FTC notes that written permission from the applicant helps establish that purpose, and screening companies typically ask for it, so the application includes a signed authorization.

Should every adult fill out a separate application?

Yes. Each adult who will live in the unit should complete and sign their own application so you can screen everyone by the same criteria and have each person's authorization. List minor children only as occupants.

Can I ask for a Social Security number on a rental application?

Many landlords do, because credit bureaus use it to match records. Because paper forms with SSNs are a security risk, this form lets you leave the SSN off and have the applicant enter it directly with your screening company instead. Accept an ITIN as an alternative if your screening company does.

What do I have to do if I deny an applicant?

If a consumer report played any part in denying the application or approving it on worse terms, such as a co-signer, a larger deposit or higher rent, you must give the applicant an adverse action notice. It names the screening company and explains the applicant's right to a free copy of the report within 60 days and to dispute errors.

Can I refuse an applicant because they have an emotional support animal and I have a no-pets policy?

Not automatically. An assistance animal for a person with a disability is not a pet, and a request to keep one is a reasonable accommodation request that you must evaluate under the Fair Housing Act rather than deny under a pet policy. That is why this form tells applicants not to list assistance animals in the pets section.

Sources

FTC: Using Consumer Reports: What Landlords Need to Know (FTC business guidance on permissible purpose and adverse action)
15 U.S.C. 1681m: Requirements on users of consumer reports (Federal statute, adverse action notice)
15 U.S.C. 1681b: Permissible purposes of consumer reports (Federal statute)
CFPB: What is a tenant screening report? (CFPB consumer guidance)
42 U.S.C. 3604: Discrimination in the sale or rental of housing (Fair Housing Act)
24 CFR 100.202: Discrimination in the sale or rental of housing (handicap) (HUD regulation, permitted inquiries)
24 CFR 100.204: Reasonable accommodations (HUD regulation)
Notice of the Withdrawal of OGC Guidance Documents (HUD, 91 FR, July 17, 2026) (Lists the 2016 criminal records guidance as withdrawn)

Sources last checked 2026-10-26.

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