Michigan Rental Application

What information should landlords collect?

To find the most suitable tenants, landlords need to gather essential information to guide their decisions. A standard Michigan rental application form asks each applicant for the following:

• Personal information: Names of all applicants, co-signers, and co-applicants, plus contact info, dates of birth, Social Security Numbers, and emergency contacts
• Financial information: Employment, income, and self-reported credit score
• References: Employers’ and previous landlords’ contact information for verification
• Rental history: Current address and recent rental history
• Animals: Type, breed, size, age of pets, and whether any qualify as service or emotional support animals (ESAs)
• Smoking status: Whether the applicant smokes or plans to smoke on the property
• Vehicle details: Make, model, year, and license plate for each vehicle

By nature, tenant screening uncovers sensitive personal details, so both federal and Michigan laws regulate what landlords can ask and how they can use the information they uncover when selecting tenants.

With a free TurboTenant account, landlords can send and receive applications that comply with Michigan laws. And don’t worry; our in-house legal team keeps these fillable application templates up to date with state and federal laws to help you stay compliant.

Pre-Screener

A pre-screener collects key data about a potential renter upfront. This early filter helps landlords identify strong leads and eliminate weak ones before moving to the comprehensive rental application process.

Residential pre-screeners often ask tenants to provide their:

• Income,
• Job status,
• Pet information,
• Household size,
• And more.

Michigan law doesn’t mandate pre-screening, but landlords who use the process avoid wasting precious time on unqualified applicants.

Federal Application Laws

Federal law sets the foundation for how Michigan landlords screen rental applicants. These regulations apply throughout the application and tenant-screening process and carry significant legal consequences for noncompliance. Adhering to these laws promotes fairness between landlords and applicants, reducing the likelihood of future legal issues.

Fair Housing Act (FHA): The FHA prohibits landlords from rejecting applicants based on any of the following protected traits:

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

Any question on a Michigan rental application form that seeks protected information, such as “Do you plan to have kids?”, violates the FHA. Additionally, the FHA applies to landlords, property managers, staff, and anyone responsible for advertising rentals or selecting tenants (42 U.S.C. §§ 3601–3619).

Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA): The ECOA prohibits discrimination in credit-related decisions, including those involving rental applications and payment arrangements. This law prevents landlords from basing rental approvals or denials on all of the FHA-protected traits, as well as:

• Receipt of public assistance income,
• Age (as long as the applicant is legally permitted to enter a contract), and
• Whether the applicant has exercised rights under the Consumer Credit Protection Act (15 U.S.C. §§ 1691–1691f).

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): This federal law protects applicants with disabilities from discriminatory treatment. It prohibits landlords from denying housing based on disability. It requires them to offer reasonable accommodations to tenants (such as allowing a service animal in a rental unit or adjusting lease policies to meet specific needs).

To avoid discrimination claims, landlords should never ask questions that attempt to uncover whether a rental applicant has a disability. For example, asking a potential tenant something like, “Will you need special modifications to the unit?” crosses the legal line (42 U.S.C. §§ 12101–12213).

Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA): The FCRA sets clear rules for how landlords can use credit and background reports during screening.

Before pulling any report, landlords must obtain the applicant’s written consent. If the landlord rejects the applicant based on information contained in the report, they must send the applicant an adverse action notice that includes the reporting agency’s name and contact information (15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq.).

Civil Rights Act of 1866: This landmark nationwide law gives every U.S. citizen the same right to buy, lease, and use property, regardless of race or color. Landlords who violate this law, whether intentionally or not, can face serious legal consequences (42 U.S.C. § 1981).

Michigan Application Laws

In addition to federal laws, state legislation regulates the types of questions landlords can ask on a Michigan rental application form and restricts when and how landlords can legally deny someone based on the information they receive.

Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) essentially reinforces the federal FHA by banning housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or familial status (Mich. Comp. Laws § 37.2101-37.2804).

The ELCRA also protects against discrimination based on age, marital status, sexual orientation, and gender identity. The Michigan Department of Civil Rights outlines these regulations in detail within its official Fair Housing brochure.

Source of income: As of 2026, Michigan landlords who own five or more rental units cannot deny applicants based on income sources such as housing vouchers, Social Security, disability benefits, or other lawful earnings (Mich. Comp. Laws § 37.2502).

Criminal history: Michigan landlords may not ask about or review an applicant’s criminal history until after they have made a conditional rental offer based on non-criminal criteria. They can only consider certain convictions (such as recent felonies, arson, or sex offender offenses), and applicants must have the opportunity to respond before the landlord denies them housing (House Bill 4878).

Eviction history: Michigan law allows landlords to consider a tenant’s eviction history during the screening process, but they must still apply screening procedures consistently across all applicants.

Sexual orientation & gender identity: Michigan law prohibits landlords from denying applicants or mistreating tenants based on their sexual orientation or gender identity (Mich. Comp. Laws § 37.2102).

Pets, ESAs, and Service Animals

Michigan landlords may enforce no-pet policies in their rentals.

However, the federal FHA treats service animals and emotional support animals (ESAs) differently. Because federal law does not consider these types of animals as pets, landlords must allow them in their rental units if a tenant provides proper documentation to prove their status.

In addition, landlords may not charge pet fees, rent, or deposits for service animals or ESAs. Tenants must still pay for any damages caused by those animals within the rental unit, however.

Pet information: Landlords should inquire about applicants’ pets, service animals, and ESAs during the Michigan application process. If the landlord allows pets in the rental, the form should include questions about the number of pets, their types, breeds, sizes, and ages.

Fair Housing Act: Federal law protects applicants who require service animals or ESAs. Landlords may not deny housing or charge pet fees based on the animal’s breed, size, or weight, even if the animal doesn’t meet the landlord’s typical criteria for in-unit pets.

Denial Process

When landlords deny an applicant in 2026, they must follow the law and apply consistent screening measures to everyone. In Michigan, valid reasons for denial include low income, bad credit, eviction history, unverifiable employment, or certain types of criminal convictions.

Denial notice: Michigan landlords must notify applicants of a denial, explain the reasons, and share any consumer report used in the decision with the tenant. They must also give applicants a chance to respond before finalizing the decision (House Bill 5605).

Credit/Background denials: The FCRA also requires landlords to send a written notice when they deny an application based on credit report information, which must explain that the decision was made based on details of the applicant’s credit history.

The notice must include:

• The name of the company that ran the credit or background check,
• A written statement explaining the applicant’s right to dispute the report, and
• Contact information for the agency that provided the report (15 U.S.C. § 1681m).

Document storage: Michigan law doesn’t set a required timeline for landlords to store screening records from rejected applicants. Still, best practice dictates that landlords hold onto these documents for at least 1 to 2 years to help defend against discrimination claims and stay compliant with fair housing laws.