Iowa Rental Application

What information should landlords collect?

From Des Moines to Cedar Rapids, Davenport, and beyond, landlords use free digital Iowa rental application templates to streamline the process of sending, receiving, and managing these crucial forms.

Landlords typically use them to collect:

• Personal info: Applicant names (including co-applicants and/or co-signers), date of birth, Social Security numbers, email/phone number, and emergency contact.
• Financial info: Employment and income details used to analyze an applicant’s ability to make on-time payments and avoid rent collection issues.
• Rental history: Previous residences that help landlords understand what to expect from a potential tenant.
• Professional and rental references: Employer information to verify work details, along with rental references such as past landlords.
• Household details: Number of occupants, smoking status, vehicle details, pets, and service animals.

Since residential rental applications request sensitive information, some laws limit what landlords can collect and how they may use it.

Next, we’ll review the state and federal laws applicable to rental applications by covering pre-screeners, pets, service animals, and denial processes.

Pre-Screener

Pre-screeners put landlords in control of who fills out their full Iowa rental application form.

These quick sample questions make sorting through leads fast and efficient. With pre-screeners, landlords get a quick look at who (at least) says they can afford their rent and whether the move-in date aligns with their property’s ready-by date.

Pre-screeners usually ask for:

• Contact information,
• Income and employment,
• Self-reported credit score,
• Move-in timeline,
• Household size,
• Pet information,
• Smoking status,
• And more.

Optional pre-screeners shouldn’t replace a standard rental application, but they can help you quickly identify candidates.

Federal Application Laws 

Whether they’ve rented out one property or too many to count, every Iowa landlord benefits from brushing up on rental application laws. These are the federal laws you’ll need to follow:

Fair Housing Act (FHA): This law prohibits discrimination against housing applicants based on:

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

Landlords, property managers, and employees responsible for selecting renters can’t deny housing based on these protected characteristics or ask about them. Questions such as “What is your nation of origin?” are illegal. The FHA prohibits discriminatory advertising and unequal renting terms (42 U.S.C. §§ 3601–3619).

Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA): This anti-discrimination law protects anyone who has received public assistance of any kind and regulates how landlords assess credit reports and rental applications (15 U.S.C. §§ 1691–1691f).

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): The ADA prohibits the denial of employment or housing to an applicant solely because of a disability, and landlords must provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities (42 U.S.C. §§ 12101–12213).

Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA): Landlords must obtain an applicant’s written consent before pulling credit reports and send the renter an adverse action notice if they deny the application based on credit (15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.).

Civil Rights Act of 1866: This longstanding federal law requires landlords to treat all applicants equally and prohibits housing discrimination based on color or race (42 U.S.C. § 1981).

Iowa Application Laws

In addition to federal application laws, landlords in Iowa must comply with state-level housing laws, including Iowa landlord-tenant laws and the Iowa Civil Rights Act.

As of 2026, there are no laws in Iowa banning or limiting a landlord from considering the following information when denying an applicant:

• Source of income,
• Criminal history,
• Eviction history, or
• Gender identity.

Sexual orientation: The Iowa Civil Rights Act protects sexual orientation, meaning landlords cannot deny housing or treat applicants differently based on it.

Portable tenant screening reports: Iowa permits portable tenant screening reports, but there are no laws requiring landlords to accept them.

Pets, ESAs, and Service Animals 

Ask about pets and assistance animals upfront. Including this section in your application can help you avoid surprises (like unregistered animals or noise complaints) and make better screening decisions.

Landlords cannot deny housing to applicants with an emotional support animal (ESA) or service animal under the Fair Housing Act. They also cannot charge pet deposits, fees, or pet rent for these animals, regardless of breed, size, or weight. That said, tenants remain responsible for any damage caused by their animals.

Pet information: Ask whether the applicant has a pet, an ESA, or a service animal in the application.

Denial Process 

When it comes to denials, the way you handle one applicant should match how you handle all applicants. Maintain a compliant rental application process by following a consistent denial procedure in 2026.

In Iowa, landlords can deny an applicant based on objective criteria such as insufficient income, poor credit, background check results, criminal history, rental history, or incomplete or false information.

Denial notice: Iowa law doesn’t require landlords to send a denial notice to every applicant.

Credit/Background denials: The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act requires landlords to send an adverse action notice if the denial is based on information from a credit/background check. The notice should include:

• The reporting agency’s name and contact information, and
• Statement of the applicant’s right to dispute any inaccuracies (15 U.S.C. § 1681m).

Document storage: Iowa landlords are not legally obligated to keep denied applications or screening reports, but maintaining these records can help protect against discrimination claims. If you use an inventory checklist at move-in and move-out, you must keep it for 1 year after the tenant moves out (Iowa House File 2471).