What is a Rental Application Form?
A rental application is created by the landlord for the prospective tenants who wish to rent the landlord’s property for residential purposes or for purposes stated and specified by the landlord and agreed to by the tenants. The purpose of the application is for the prospective tenants to convey the required information to the landlord. This will make it easier to conduct relevant checks and choose an ideal tenant for the property.
It includes details of the tenant such as name, social security number, occupation, additional occupants, and so on for safety and security purposes. It also includes details of the landlord, property to be rented, tenure of the property rental, rental amount, and the likes.
Information required on a Rental Application Form
Before you fill the form as a tenant or get it filled as a landlord, there are certain details that you need to be aware of.
- Personal Information of the Landlord as well as the Tenant Property
- Details such as Address and Availability
- Residence History of the Tenant
- Employment and Income Information of the Tenant Pets, Vehicles, and Personal Habits Miscellaneous
Personal Information: The landlord, as well as the tenant, will be required to fill out the necessary personal details such as name, contact number, occupation, email address, and so on the rental application for security reasons.
Details of the property: State out the detailed location of the concerned property along with the complete address, city, state, and zip code.
Availability of the property: This shall mention the exact date from when the property will be available to lease or rent.
Residence History of the Tenant: This is crucial information as it will help the landlord to run background checks on the tenant and decide whether to rent the property to them.
Employment and Income Information of the Tenant: This is again required to run thorough background checks on the tenant for security purposes.
Pets, Vehicles and Personal Habits: It has to be made known whether the tenant has a pet. Vehicle details are also to be mentioned. Also, smoking habits should also be revealed. Not all the properties allow smoking and are pet-friendly. Therefore, the form has specified boxes to be checked for certain details. Details such as the provision of parking space for the tenant also need to be mentioned.
The rental application forms differ slightly from state to state. Therefore, it is imperative to select the correct state while applying online.
How to Fill Out a Rental Application Form?
Rental Applications can be filled online as well as offline on the basis of one’s convenience. Digitally filled documents and e-signatures are legally permissible.
- To start with, download a rental application form from an authorized or trusted source. An online form will look like this. Start by filling out the details of the person in charge. It could be the landlord, a real estate agent, or the property manager. Their name and contact information will be filled in. Underneath which the detailed property address and date of availability of the property will have to be mentioned.
- The applicant or the prospective tenant’s personal details will come next. Their name, contact information, estimated move-in date, and such details will have to be filled in. Similar details will have to be filled in for a co-applicant if there are any.
- Further, the details of other occupants like their name, relation with the prospective tenant/ applicant, and their date of birth will have to be filled in the rental application form.
- Additional information like pets, smoking habits, vehicles, and the likes will be required for the landlord to screen better.
- At the end of the rental application form, the applicant and co-applicant will need to verify the truthfulness of the details mentioned. Their signatures will complete the document.
What is a Rental Application Form Used for?
A rental application form is filled out by prospective tenants and used by the landlord to screen and conduct background checks on the tenants so as to select the right tenant for the property. A rental application is filled, signed, and submitted by tenants to the landlord which states that the information mentioned on the form is true and can be used by the landlord while choosing the right tenant for the property.
It is not a legally binding contract to rent out a property. It is merely for prospective tenants to share relevant details so the landlord can decide which tenant to rent the property to. Only after the landlord has selected a tenant will they sign a lease agreement.
