Missouri Rental Application

What type of information should landlords collect?

To hone in on dream tenants, landlords need to collect key information that guides their decision-making. As such, Missouri rental applications typically ask a tenant for the following:

• Personal information: Names of all applicants or co-signers, contact details, birth date, Social Security Number, and emergency contacts
• Financial information: Income, job status, rental payment history, and credit background
• Landlord and employer references: Contact info to verify rental history and employment
• Rental history: Current address and previous places lived over the past few years
• Animals: Number, type, breed, size, and age of pets, including any service or support animals
• Smoking status: Whether the applicant smokes or plans to smoke on the property
• Vehicle information: Make, model, year, and plate number of any vehicles on-site

Rental applications ask for delicate personal information, so federal and Missouri laws set clear limits on what information landlords can collect and how they can use it to screen tenants.

TurboTenant helps Missouri landlords stay compliant by offering unlimited state-specific rental applications (reviewed by our in-house legal experts) with every free account.

Pre-Screener

Missouri law doesn’t require landlords to use pre-screeners, but doing so can help narrow the list of potential tenants. A well-utilized pre-screen can save landlords time and allow unqualified applicants to move on to the next rental opportunity sooner.

When interested renters complete a quick pre-screener, landlords can determine if they meet the minimum tenant standards, including income, job status, pets, household size, and more.

Federal Application Laws

Federal law applies to all Missouri rental applications, and landlords must carefully review them when evaluating applicants and conducting background checks. Adhering to these nationwide standards helps promote a fair screening process and lowers the risk of legal blowback.

Fair Housing Act (FHA)

The Fair Housing Act bars landlords from treating applicants differently based on the following protected traits:

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

Questions that reveal protected information, like “Do you plan to have children?” or “Do you go to church in the neighborhood?” violate the law, plain and simple.

The Fair Housing Act applies to anyone involved in the rental process, including landlords, property managers, their staff, and individuals who advertise rentals or screen tenants.

Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA)

The Equal Credit Opportunity Act aims to prevent discrimination in any transaction involving credit checks or payment terms, including those related to rental applications.

Similar to the Fair Housing Act, the ECOA blocks landlords from approving or rejecting applicants based on those outlined in the FHA, but adds:

• Receipt of public assistance income
• Whether the applicant has exercised rights under the Consumer Credit Protection Act

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

The Americans with Disabilities Act restricts landlords from discriminating against applicants with disabilities. Further, it requires landlords to make reasonable accommodations, such as installing grab bars or approving a reserved parking space for the tenant near the unit.

To avoid discrimination claims, landlords should steer clear of questions that attempt to reveal an applicant’s disability. Asking things like “Do you receive disability benefits?” or “Have you ever had surgery for a medical condition?” can trigger legal action against the landlord.

Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)

The Fair Credit Reporting Act outlines the requirements for landlords to handle credit and background checks during the rental process.

First, landlords must obtain written permission from the applicant before running either of these reports. Next, if they reject an applicant based on what they find, they must send an adverse action notice that lists the name and contact information of the reporting agency.

Civil Rights Act of 1866

The Civil Rights Act of 1866 guarantees every U.S. citizen equal rights to lease, own, and use property, regardless of their race or skin color. This law aims to eradicate racial discrimination in all property deals, from home sales to subleases to rental agreements.

Missouri Application Laws

Along with federal rules, Missouri state law limits what landlords can ask in a rental application and when they can lawfully reject an applicant based on details they receive.

Missouri’s Human Rights Act (MHRA) mirrors the federal Fair Housing Act by banning housing discrimination based on race, color, sex, national origin, religion, disability, and familial status. It also adds ancestry as a protected class, giving tenants further protection under state law (MRS § 213.040).

Source of income: As of May 2025, Missouri landlords can legally deny applicants based on their source of income. House Bill 595 prohibits cities from enacting local ordinances that ban this practice, undoing protections in cities that include Kansas City, St. Louis, Columbia, Webster Groves, and Clayton. Landlords statewide may now reject tenants who receive Housing Choice Vouchers, Social Security benefits, and veterans’ benefits.

Criminal history: Missouri landlords can consider criminal history during the screening process, but they must avoid blanket bans that can disproportionately affect protected groups under the Fair Housing Act. In Kansas City, however, a 2025 ordinance adds criminal history as a protected class, making it illegal to discriminate against formerly incarcerated applicants.

Eviction history: Landlords across Missouri may reject applicants with prior evictions, provided they apply the same screening standards to everyone.

Sexual orientation & gender identity: Even though Missouri state law doesn’t list sexual orientation or gender identity as protected classes, federal law still prohibits landlords from discriminating against rental applicants based on either trait (Fair Housing Act; HUD Directive 2021-01).

Pets, ESAs, and Service Animals

Missouri landlords have the right to ban pets in their dwelling units.

However, under the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA), emotional support animals and service animals are not considered pets and, thus, cannot be restricted from rentals. Landlords must make reasonable accommodations for tenants requiring these types of animals.

Landlords also can’t charge pet fees, rent, or deposits for ESAs or service animals. That said, tenants must cover any damage their animals cause, regardless of their status.

Pet information: During the application process, landlords should inquire if an applicant has pets, emotional support animals (ESAs), service animals, or some combination of the three. If the rental property allows pets, the application should include a section for the number, type, breed, size, and age of the pet.

Fair Housing Act: As noted earlier, federal fair housing laws protect applicants who use emotional support animals or service animals. Landlords may not charge pet fees or deny housing based on the animal’s breed, size, or weight, even if those details would normally disqualify the candidate.

Denial Process

Landlords who deny an applicant must follow the rules and use consistent screening criteria for everyone. In Missouri, valid reasons for denial include low income, poor credit, recent evictions, certain criminal convictions, or missing information on the application.

Denial notice: Missouri law doesn’t require landlords to notify applicants when they reject a rental application.

Credit/background denials: The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act requires landlords to provide applicants with a written notice if they reject an application based on information from their credit report. The notice must clearly state that the decision was based directly on the details in the report.

This notice must include:

• The name of the company that ran the credit and background check
• A statement about applicant rights explaining their right to dispute any errors or incomplete information
• Contact details for the agency, like their name, phone number, and mailing address

Document storage: Missouri law doesn’t require landlords to keep screening records from denied applicants. Still, many landlords hold onto application-related documents for at least five years to defend against potential discrimination claims and comply with fair housing laws.