Louisiana Rental Application

What type of information should landlords collect?

It’s crucial to have the complete picture of who’s applying for your property. A comprehensive Louisiana rental application will do the heavy lifting for you.

Online rental application templates with sample questions can ensure your form is legally sound while gathering crucial information. Here’s an online rental application from TurboTenant to streamline the way you send, receive, and manage your applications.

The rental application form will help you collect:

• Personal information: Names of applicants, co-applicants, and co-signers, along with social security numbers, date of birth, phone number, email, vehicle details, emergency contact, and smoking status.
• Financial details: Knowing about income and employment will tell you about an applicant’s ability to make on-time payments and avoid rent collection.
• Rental history: Ask about their current, previous, and past residences.
• References: Professional and rental references can be a great way to cross-check and confirm application details.
• Pets: Ask about the number, size, breed, and service status of any pets or animals.

Applications ask for sensitive information. There are federal and state laws that regulate the types of questions you can ask and how you use them.

We’ll cover these legal specifics as we review pre-screeners, pets, and denial processes.

Pre-Screener

Say goodbye to sorting through unqualified renter leads. When a renter finds your property listing and fills out the pre-screener, this short questionnaire serves as your first point of contact.

This form makes the screening process more efficient by filtering out applicants who don’t meet your standards, be it income, move-in date, or smoking status.

Here’s what a pre-screener should ask for:

• Contact information
• Desired move-in date
• Household size
• Employment and income
• A self-reported credit score
• Smoking status
• Pets

Once an interested party fills out a pre-screener, you can decide whether or not you’d like to send them your full application. Using one as a first step allows you to get ahead of the clutter and spend your time on serious candidates.

Federal Application Laws

Choosing the right tenant is entirely your decision, but there are federal housing laws that all landlords must abide by. Here’s what you need to know to keep your Louisiana rental application process legally compliant:

Fair Housing Act (FHA): Landlords cannot discriminate against applicants based on:

• Race
• Color
• National origin
• Religion
• Sex
• Familial status
• Disability

Denial and questions relating to these protected characteristics are prohibited. A question such as “Are you Catholic?” is against the law.

Unequal renting terms and discriminatory advertising are prohibited. These laws apply to all Louisiana landlords, property managers, and employees responsible for selecting renters (Fair Housing Act).

Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA): Landlords can’t discriminate against anyone who has received public assistance or has lived in public housing of any kind. This law regulates how landlords evaluate credit reports and provides reporting guidelines for applicants (Equal Credit Opportunity Act).

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Landlords must accommodate applicants with disabilities and cannot deny housing solely because of their condition. (Americans with Disabilities Act).

Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA): Landlords need an applicant’s written consent before running a credit check. If the landlord bases a denial on credit history, they must inform the applicant (Fair Credit Reporting Act).

Civil Rights Act of 1866: Landlords must treat all applicants equally, and discrimination based on color and race is prohibited (Civil Rights Act of 1866).

Louisiana Application Laws

Across New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and beyond, every landlord in Louisiana needs to comply with state laws, which include Louisiana landlord-tenant laws and rental application laws outlined in the Louisiana Equal Housing Opportunity Act.

There are no laws in Louisiana that prohibit landlords from considering an applicant’s source of income, criminal history, or eviction history. Landlords can legally factor these renter details into the decision-making process.

Sexual orientation & gender identity: Louisiana law includes an applicant’s sex as a protected characteristic, but does not explicitly mention sexual orientation or gender identity (Louisiana Equal Housing Opportunity Act).

Cultural characteristics: In addition to FHA-protected characteristics, Louisiana includes natural, protective, and cultural hairstyles. Discrimination according to these characteristics is prohibited by law (Louisiana Equal Housing Opportunity Act).

Portable tenant screening reports: Landlords in Louisiana are permitted to use portable screening reports; however, there are no laws requiring landlords to accept them.

Pets, ESAs, and Service Animals

About 66% of U.S. households have a pet. If you don’t already have a section for pets on your Louisiana rental application, now’s the time to add one.

Even if you don’t plan to allow pets, you can’t legally discriminate against applicants who have an emotional support animal (ESA) or a service animal. However, you can hold any tenant liable for pet-related property damage, even if the pet has service status.

Pet information: In the application, ask about any pets the applicant has — and include separate questions about emotional support animals or service animals, which are not considered pets under the Fair Housing Act.

Fair Housing Act: Landlords can’t discriminate against tenants with ESAs or service animals. You also can’t charge a pet deposit, pet rent, or pet fee for them. Denial based on the breed, size, or weight of an ESA/service animal is prohibited.

Denial Process 

In Louisiana, landlords can legally deny an applicant based on the following:

• Incomplete/false information
• Insufficient income
• Credit history
• Criminal background
• Rental history

As a best practice, always handle denials consistently across applicants. Failing to do so can leave you open to discrimination claims.

Denial notice: In Louisiana, you don’t need to send out denial notices to applicants.

Credit/Background denials: If you deny an applicant based on their credit report or background check, the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires that you send them an adverse action notice, which must include:

• The reporting agency’s name/contact information
• Explanation of the renter’s right to dispute errors

Document storage: Always hold onto denied applications and screening reports. Though this practice is not legally mandated, these documents are your best defense against claims of discrimination. Easily store documents in TurboTenant — for free.