Free Rental Application Form

Your free Rental Application form for houses, residential apartments, garage apartments or roommates can help you screen prospective tenants.

When inviting tenant rental applications it is standard to ask for a non-refundable application fee to cover the costs for credit reports and background checks, within the limit as provided for in your jurisdiction.

You also need to consider whether to ask for a deposit to accompany the submission, which can be kept should a successful prospective tenant fail to follow through and execute the lease.

Alternatively you can give a time limit within which the security deposit must be paid, so you do not reserve an apartment indefinitely.

On This Page:

• Printable free tenant rental application - Also available as downloadable and fillable PDF and Word Doc.
  
  A parent (or guardian etc.) could be the rental applicant and subsequent lessee named on the lease agreement, but will not himself occupy the premises. A child (normally a student or young professional just starting out without his own credit score) will be occupying the premises. We've made provision for this instance in our rental application template and it should be reflected in the monthly credit obligations.
• Questions to ask future roommates - Gather important information regarding affordability, compatibility etc.

Related Articles When Processing Your Tenant Rental Application Form

• Tenant Screening Tips - From the first telephonic contact through the showing and verification of submitted documentation.
• Rental Application Fees - The rights of the landlord and applicant and legal guidelines when processing applications.
• Renting Out a Room - Guidelines and free legal forms.
• Rental Rejection Letter - For unsuccessful applicants.
• Free Guarantor Application Form - This may offer additional peace of mind to a landlord if an applicant has a credit worthy person who will guarantee rental payment.

A Few More Tips about our Free Rental Application Form

Checking through the credit references supplied will very quickly show whether an applicant can afford the rental or is over-extended due to other credit commitments. The bank statements will provide additional evidence as to expenses and debit orders going through on a monthly basis.

Following up on employment and other references will also give a landlord invaluable information.

Questions to ask previous landlords of a rental applicant:

• Did the tenant pay his rental on time?
• Did the tenant look after the property and leave it in a clean condition?
• Was the tenant courteous to and considerate of other occupants and neighbours and did he abide by community rules?
• The answer to a very simple question to a previous landlord such as "would you let your property to this person again?" can speak volumes!

Do not rely on the phone numbers supplied to do your employment checks. Do an online search to find a company's contact details.

If a prospective tenant was referred by a broker or agent, as landlords we also make every effort to meet with the candidate in person before giving the final nod.

If you do give permission for a specific pet to be kept, ask for a photograph of the pet and its tracking chip number to accompany the application.

Free Room Rental Application Form - Questions to Ask Future Roommates

It is generally provided in law that a landlord may not discriminate on the basis of gender, religion, race etc. and this will be of particular importance in a formal lease agreement.

However, in an informal roommate agreement the rules are less strict. If there are a number of young female students sharing a home, they would not want an elderly male as a roommate and they can specify in their advertisement that only single females of a certain age group may apply. As long as they then reject all elderly male applicants they are acting legally.

All roommates could be involved in an informal interview meeting with prospective candidates and ask questions such as:

Affordability and Contribution Questions for a Room Rental

• What do you do as a job, for how long have you been with your current employer and can you supply a payslip or other proof of income? What is your credit score? This is important to establish whether the candidate can afford the rental or whether he will become a financial burden on the other occupants.
• Are you self-employed / freelancing and can you provide proof of a stable income or cash reserves to fall back on during lean months?
• Can you pay the rental and deposit amounts in full at this time if your application is successful?
• Is there a person who can enter into a separate Guarantor Agreement to ensure payment of all monies?
• What furniture, appliances and utensils do you plan to bring to the property? Can you contribute to the cost of furniture if needed?

References and Future Plans of a Room Rental Applicant

• Do you have any reference from a previous landlord and character references from an employer or college lecturer?
• What are your future plans and how long do you intend to stay? You would not want to have to advertise for and screen a new tenant again in the foreseeable future. And if you have a lease with a landlord for a specified time, you would want the roommate to commit to that period.

Compatibility With Other Roommates

• What are your working hours? This may impact rush hour for showers in the morning or if he is working night shifts, there may be an expectation of quiet times in the house during the day.
• Do you work from home and what are your expectations from the other roommates during your working hours?
• Do you have any hobbies and if so, how will that impact on the other tenants?
• Which chores do you hate doing? Do you enjoy cooking and do you then clean up after yourself?
• Do you have pets and what kind, or are you planning to get a pet in future?

During the actual interview they will get a good sense of the person - whether his appearance is respectable and how he conducts himself. He can also be asked directly if he uses legal drugs, alcohol and smokes. Applicants can be informed that there must be a majority approval of a prospective roommate.

When renting to couples: A situation may arise where a tenant wishes to have a partner move in permanently to share a room.

If there are a number of other tenants on the premises, then it could be helpful to the landlord to have an open discussion with them first as to the viability of adding another occupant and to involve them in the screening process, especially if the landlord cannot meet with the prospective partner in person.

Note: On your free printable rental application template you can change the heading to specify whether the premises will be rented in its entirety e.g. it is an apartment rental application form, or a room rental application form.

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