Kansas Rental Application

What information should landlords collect? 

Choosing the right tenant begins with collecting vital information via your rental application form. Great tenants make monthly rent collection a breeze, abide by their lease terms, and care for your property like it’s their own.

Whether you’re renting out one property or 50, use a free rental application template to keep the process quick and efficient. This digital form includes crucial questions and sends complete, compliant applications to a candidate’s smartphone or laptop, making it easy for landlords to screen potential tenants.

From a spacious single-family home in Wichita to a rural homestead out west, every Kansas rental application form should collect:

• Applicant names (including co-applicants and/or co-signers),
• Date of birth,
• Social Security number,
• Email address and phone number,
• Vehicle information,
• Smoking status,
• Emergency contact,
• Employment status,
• Income,
• Rental history,
• Professional and rental references, and
• Household details (number of occupants, pets, smoking status, vehicle information).

Because fillable rental application forms collect sensitive information, federal and state laws restrict how landlords may use the information they reveal. Next, we’ll review these details as we cover pre-screeners, residential rental application laws, pets, the denial process, and more.

Pre-Screener

Time is precious. Don’t waste it on renter leads who don’t meet your qualifications. Save valuable time (and space in your inbox) with a pre-screener that helps you identify applicants who meet your criteria, so you can focus your energy on the strongest leads.

Since the information in a pre-screener is self-declared, it doesn’t replace the standard rental application. Use it as a smart first step to filter out candidates who don’t meet your basic criteria (but don’t rely on it completely).

Landlords should include the following in their pre-screener:

• Contact information,
• Household size,
• Employment status,
• Self-reported income and credit score,
• Desired move-in date,
• Smoking status,
• Pet and/or service animals.

If the pre-screener meets the minimum requirements, landlords should proceed to send out a full application.

Federal Application Laws 

From Topeka to Lawrence, Flint Hills, and beyond, every landlord in Kansas must follow federal laws when selecting their next tenant. Keep the following regulations in mind to ensure your application process is legally compliant:

Fair Housing Act (FHA): Landlords can’t discriminate against applicants based on:

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

Landlords, property managers, and employees responsible for selecting renters can’t ask questions related to these characteristics during the application process. The FHA also prohibits unequal rental terms and discriminatory advertising (42 U.S.C. §§ 3601–3619).

Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA): Landlords can’t discriminate against renters who have received public assistance or have lived in public housing. The ECOA regulates how landlords evaluate credit reports and outlines reporting guidelines for applicants (15 U.S.C. §§ 1691–1691f).

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Landlords must accommodate renters with disabilities and may not deny an applicant solely because of their disability (42 U.S.C. §§ 12101–12213).

Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA): Landlords must obtain an applicant’s written consent to run a tenant screening credit check. If a landlord denies an application based on credit history, they must inform the applicant (15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.).

Civil Rights Act of 1866: Landlords must treat all applicants equally and can’t discriminate based on color or race (42 U.S.C. § 1981).

Kansas Application Laws

Every landlord in the Heart of America must follow Kansas landlord-tenant laws and the Kansas Act Against Discrimination. Here’s what landlords need to know:

Source of income: There are no statewide laws banning landlords from considering a person’s source of income. However, cities like Lawrence have local laws that list sources of income as a protected characteristic (Lawrence Ordinance 9960).

Criminal & eviction history: Landlords can consider a tenant’s criminal history and eviction history when selecting a tenant. Kansas does not have look-back laws.

Ancestry: Landlords can’t discriminate against an applicant’s ancestry, which is a protected characteristic in Kansas (Kan. Stat. Ann. § 44-1001 et seq.).

Sexual orientation & gender identity: In Kansas, these characteristics are not protected. Landlords can consider them when making decisions.

Portable tenant screening reports: Kansas permits landlords to use portable tenant screening reports and has no laws regulating their use.

Proposed laws for 2026: Kansas lawmakers are considering several bills that could reshape tenant screening. One proposal would block cities and counties from limiting landlord discretion, allowing screening based on income source, eviction history, or criminal background (HB 2504).

Other bills would expand tenant protections, including requiring landlords to consider broader sources of income and accept partial payments when evaluating applicants (HB 2454). Separate proposals look to seal or expunge certain eviction records, limiting how that history appears in screening reports (HB 2357).

Pets, ESAs, and Service Animals 

People aren’t the only ones who may be living on a landlord’s property. Pets (and animals with service status) need a place within a free Kansas rental application, too. Here’s how you can factor in four-legged friends in your applications.

Pet information: On the application, ask whether the renter has a pet, an ESA (emotional support animal), or a service animal. Collect information such as the number of pets, their breeds, names, and sizes. These details can help you keep track of pets over time, especially in multi-pet households.

Fair Housing Act: Under the FHA, landlords cannot:

• Discriminate against applicants solely based on their ESA/service animal,
• Collect a pet deposit, pet fee, or pet rent for ESAs/service animals, or
• Deny an applicant based on their ESA/service animal’s weight, size, or breed.

If a tenant’s pet, ESA, or service animal causes damage, the landlord can hold the tenant financially responsible.

Denial Process 

Landlords must handle denials consistently and in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations across all applicants. In Kansas, landlords can deny based on unqualified income, credit history, rental history, criminal background, and incomplete or false information. Here’s everything you need to know about denials:

Denial notice: Kansas state law does not define a specific process for issuing denials.

Credit/Background denials: If landlords deny an applicant based on a credit or tenant background check, they must send them an adverse action notice, which includes:

• The reporting agency’s name and contact information, and
• An explanation of their right to dispute errors (15 U.S.C. § 1681m).

Document storage: Kansas law doesn’t require you to store documents, but you should always retain screening reports and applications for your records. This practice can help landlords defend against discrimination claims.