Nevada Rental Application

What information should landlords collect?

When processing a rental application, landlords should collect the following details to help them make their decision:

• Personal information: Names, birth dates, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, emergency contacts, and email addresses for each applicant
• Employment and income: Employment status and income history to assess financial reliability
• Rental history: Previous residences to understand past rental behavior
• References: Personal, professional, and rental references for added context
• Smoking status: Whether the applicant smokes or vapes
• Pets: Details about pets, including whether any are service or emotional support animals
• Vehicle information: Number of vehicles and relevant details for parking or registration

Remember, rental application templates deal with sensitive information. Handle them carefully and follow all applicable state and federal laws when running a tenant screening. In the following sections, we’ll review relevant guidelines to help landlords protect themselves and their applicants.

Pre-Screener

Some landlords use pre-screeners to assess applicants before the application process begins. While not a substitute for a standard screening process, a pre-screener can save landlords time and filter out tenants who don’t meet their minimum criteria, without running a full background check.

Pre-screeners typically ask for:

• Applicant contact information,
• Employment status and current income,
• Self-reported credit score,
• Desired date of move-in,
• Number of occupants,
• Pets, and
• Smoking status.

Used correctly, a pre-screener can help landlords hone in on applicants who meet basic standards before moving to the next phase.

Federal Application Laws

Landlords must consider some important federal laws when deciding on an applicant. Always abide by the following nationwide regulations:

Fair Housing Act (FHA): The Federal Fair Housing Act forbids landlords from discriminating against or favoring applicants based on their status as members of a protected class. These protected characteristics include:

• Race,
• Religion,
• Disability,
• National origin,
• Sex,
• Color, and
• Familial status.

It is illegal to deny housing to a person based on the above. Further, screeners cannot ask whether a person belongs to one of the above classes. These standards apply to all landlords, property owners, property managers, and employees of the aforementioned (42 U.S.C. §§ 3601–3619).

Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA): The ECOA regulates how landlords can assess an applicant’s credit history when making a housing decision and prohibits discriminating against applicants based on whether they’ve received public assistance or lived in public housing (15 U.S.C. §§ 1691–1691f).

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): The ADA prohibits landlords from discriminating against people with disabilities and requires landlords to provide reasonable accommodations for renters with disabilities (42 U.S.C. §§ 12101–12213).

Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA): The FCRA requires landlords to obtain an applicant’s consent to run a credit check. It also guides landlords on how to use the information they receive during that screening. For instance, if a landlord rejects an application because of the applicant’s credit history, they must issue the applicant an adverse action notice detailing the decision (15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.).

Civil Rights Act of 1866: This law prohibits racial discrimination in housing-related decisions, including rental applications and lease agreements, and requires landlords to treat all applicants equally regardless of race (42 U.S.C. § 1981).

Nevada Application Laws

In addition to federal law, Nevada’s 2026 landlord-tenant laws influence landlords’ decisions about whether to rent to an applicant. Nevada has its own Fair Housing Laws that include additional protections beyond the Federal Fair Housing Act. Plus, there are other nuances to consider that we’ll discuss below.

Source of income: Nevada state law does not prevent landlords from considering an applicant’s source of income when making a housing decision. However, some local governments do. For instance, Clark County protects people who have received public assistance or lived in public housing from discrimination. With that in mind, always check local laws to ensure you’re complying with them.

Criminal history: There are no specific restrictions for Nevada landlords when conducting criminal background checks, except that landlords should judge all applicants consistently. It’s important to consider convictions and not discriminate against an applicant solely because of their record.

Eviction history: Nevada landlords can use public-record eviction history when considering a residential rental application.

Sexual orientation & gender identity: Nevada has added sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected classes found in the federal Fair Housing Act.

Portable tenant screening reports: Nevada law doesn’t require landlords to accept a portable tenant screening report (but they may do so if they choose).

Pets, ESAs, and Service Animals

If you allow pets in the rental unit, include a dedicated section in your rental application to collect that information from applicants upfront.

Pet information: In this section, ask about the type, size, and breed of any pets the applicant plans to bring. Also, include whether the animal is a service or emotional support animal, as that affects how you will handle the application.

Fair Housing Act: The FHA prohibits landlords from denying housing to applicants with a service or emotional support animal (ESA). These animals are exempt from pet deposits and pet rent, though tenants remain responsible for any damage they cause.

Denial Process

Here’s a rule of thumb: Treat every applicant the same and apply consistent screening criteria to all applicants.

This approach helps prevent discrimination and supports a fair screening process. In Nevada, landlords can deny an application based on objective criteria such as insufficient income, poor credit history, adverse rental history, certain criminal convictions, or incomplete or false information on the rental application.

Denial notice: Nevada law does not require landlords to issue a formal denial notice upon declining an application.

Credit/background denials: The FCRA requires landlords to provide applicants with an adverse action notice if they’ve been denied based on credit or background information.

That notice must include:

• The name of the provider that conducted the background check/credit screening,
• An explanation of the tenant’s right to dispute inaccuracies, and
• The contact information for the reporting agency (15 U.S.C. § 1681m).

Document storage: As of 2026, Nevada law does not require landlords to retain application-related documents for a set period, though it remains a good practice. Keeping clear records can help protect landlords if a denied applicant later raises a discrimination claim.