Real Estate

Rental Application Template

A rental application form is a form that collects a prospective tenant's identity, rental history, employment, income, references and consent to screening so a landlord or property manager can choose a reliable tenant. This template follows the order most landlords review in — current home, then job and income, then references — and lets applicants upload pay stubs securely.

Use this template — freeTry it first
28 questions
4 pages
~7 min
To fill in
Modern layout
Mobile-ready
Free
No credit card
Rental Application form beside a photo of a hand holding house keys in a bright living room

Live preview · nothing you type is sent

Loading preview…

Photo by Jakub Zerdzicki on Pexels

Who it's for

Independent landlords, property managers, letting agents, student housing providers and housing co-ops.

  • Accepting applications after a showing or open house
  • A link in rental listings on Zillow, Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace
  • Screening several roommates applying for one unit
  • Renewing or transferring tenants between properties in a portfolio

What this template asks

Every question can be changed, removed or reordered once it's yours.

Applicant

  1. Property address you are applying for*

    Short text

  2. First name*

    Short text

  3. Last name*

    Short text

  4. Email*

    Email

  5. Mobile number*

    Phone number

  6. Date of birth*

    Date

  7. Desired move-in date*

    Date

  8. Lease term*

    Multiple choice

    • 6 months
    • 12 months
    • 18+ months
    • Month to month

Rental history

  1. Current address*

    Long text

  2. Time at this address*

    Number

  3. Current monthly rent

    Number

    Optional. Leave blank if you own

  4. Current landlord name

    Short text

    Optional

  5. Current landlord phone

    Phone number

    Optional

  6. Reason for moving*

    Long text

  7. Have you ever been evicted?*

    Multiple choice

    • No
    • Yes

Employment and income

  1. Employment status*

    Multiple choice

    • Employed full time
    • Employed part time
    • Self-employed
    • Student
    • Retired
    • Other

  2. Employer

    Short text

    Optional

  3. Job title

    Short text

    Optional

  4. Gross monthly income*

    Number

  5. Proof of income

    File upload

    Optional. Two recent pay stubs, an offer letter or bank statements

  6. Personal reference name*

    Short text

    Not a relative

  7. Reference phone*

    Phone number

Household and consent

  1. Number of people who will live in the unit, including you*

    Number

  2. Names of other adult occupants

    Long text

    Optional. Each adult usually submits their own application

  3. Do you have pets?*

    Multiple choice

    • No
    • Dog
    • Cat
    • Other

  4. Do you smoke?*

    Multiple choice

    • No
    • Yes

  5. Type your full legal name*

    Short text

  6. Consent*

    Checkboxes

    • I agree and authorize screening checks

Tips for more responses

  1. 1

    Turn on save and resume so applicants can come back after finding a landlord reference or pay stub.

  2. 2

    Use a PDF template to create a filled application file for each applicant for your records.

  3. 3

    Set a closing time in Form Settings when the unit is taken, so applicants are not left waiting.

Questions

What should a rental application form include?

The applicant's full name, date of birth and contact details; current and previous addresses with landlord contacts; employer, job title and monthly income; personal references; other occupants; pets and vehicles; the desired move-in date and lease term; and signed consent to credit and background checks.

Can a landlord ask for proof of income?

Yes, landlords commonly ask for recent pay stubs, an offer letter or bank statements, and many look for income of around two and a half to three times the monthly rent. Some cities and states limit income rules or protect housing vouchers, so check your local law.

What questions should a rental application avoid?

Under the US Fair Housing Act, avoid questions about race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status or disability, and some states add more protected classes. Ask the same questions of every applicant and judge them on the same written criteria.

Do I need the tenant's consent for a background check?

In the US, landlords generally need written permission to pull a credit report, and must give notice if they reject an applicant based on it. This template includes a consent checkbox and a typed name; run the actual check through a tenant screening service.

Is this rental application template free?

Yes. Copy it into a free Dculus Forms account, change anything you like and start collecting responses. No credit card is needed.

Can I change the questions?

Yes. Your copy opens in the form builder, where you can add, remove and reorder questions, change the layout and add your own branding.

Where do the responses go?

Responses arrive in your Dculus Forms workspace. You can export them to Excel or CSV, send them to Google Sheets or a webhook, and get email notifications.

Can I host it myself?

Yes. Dculus Forms is open source (GPLv3), so you can run it on your own servers and keep every response in your own database.

Similar templates

All templates
Use this template — free