House Rental Applications: How to Send Digital Forms for Free

Finding quality tenants is hard enough as it is, so why set yourself up for failure with a subpar house rental application? Shortchanging your rental application process opens the door to late rent, trashed properties, and costly evictions that put your entire investment at risk.

Thankfully, finding tenants doesn’t have to feel like spinning the roulette wheel. When you use a digital rental application that checks all the legal boxes, you will collect critical information that leads to more successful tenant screening outcomes.

Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about house rental applications, including how to send them digitally, analyze the results, and stay compliant with federal laws that could spell disaster if not handled correctly.

House Rental Applications are the First Step to Finding Quality Tenants

If you’ve ever had a difficult tenant, you probably looked back and wished you’d screened them more thoroughly. Whether you failed to check in with past landlords or didn’t run a comprehensive background report, a solid rental application might have helped you make a better choice when choosing a tenant.

Heck, a pre-screener could have helped you weed them out before you even got started.

Thankfully, a top-notch house rental application will provide a clear view of anyone who wants to live in your rental property. It extensively covers income, employment, rental history, credit, criminal background, past evictions, and more, allowing you to gain better insights and narrow down your field of potential renters.

If you want to land qualified renters to fill your vacancies, you need to nail the application process first. Upstanding tenants are the foundation of any profitable rental portfolio, but they don’t usually move in by accident.

Did You Know? All TurboTenant house rental applications come with detailed tenant-paid screening, which gives landlords an up-close look at an applicant’s criminal history, credit report, and eviction records (where allowed by law).

How to Send & Receive Digital House Rental Applications

If you’re looking to fill a vacant house rental, you should first market the rental on as many listing platforms as possible, schedule showings with interested parties, and send digital house rental applications to leads right away.

But how do you send and receive digital rental applications? The answer is simple, free for landlords, and only takes a few minutes.

Step 1: Sign Up for Free Property Management Software

First things first, sign up for a free TurboTenant account. From your dashboard, you can immediately send and receive legally reviewed house rental applications, as well as access a comprehensive set of tools specifically designed for independent landlords. Signing up takes just a few minutes and doesn’t require a credit card.

“One of the biggest things I’m always touting to my friends is that they need to get away from some of the time and energy they’re putting into things that can be done so much better and for literally next to nothing.” – Craig Fisher, TurboTenant User

Step 2: Enter Your House’s Information

Once logged in, go to the “Properties” tab in your landlord dashboard and enter a few basic details about your rental: the property type, address, and number of bedrooms and bathrooms. Creating a property profile will remind renters exactly which house they’re applying for.

Step 3: Invite Potential Renters to Apply for Your Property

Next, click the “Applicants” tab in your landlord dashboard, then hit the “Invite to Apply” button. Select the property you just set up and enter the renter’s name, email, and phone number.

Then, you’ll need to specify the rent terms, security deposit amounts, and application type (Standard or Premium). Both options include background, credit, and eviction checks, but Premium also allows landlords to verify a potential renter’s earnings with Income Insights.

Once you’ve double-checked all the details, send the invite through to the potential tenant.

Step 4: Access the Application and Screening Results

Once a renter submits their application and completes the screening process, we’ll send you an email notification directly to your inbox. Log in to your landlord dashboard to review the application details.

On top of basic info like employment history, rental references, and pet information, the application results you receive will also give you access to a candidate’s credit report, criminal history, eviction records, and income analysis. With all vital information gathered in one place, it’ll be easy to compare applicants and choose the best fit for your rental.

Pro tip: Run a demo house rental application to preview the form renters complete and share with you.

Tips for Analyzing House Rental Applications and Tenant Background Checks

Once you receive the application results, you’ll have a lot of valuable information to sort through. Here are a few tips to help you analyze the data and make an informed decision:

Verify Income Before Anything Else

House rental agreements don’t mean much if the rent payment never hits your account.

Which is why you should always verify income before analyzing any other factors. Scrutinize the applicant’s pay stubs and bank statements to ensure the numbers line up with what the applicant reported.

If a candidate’s income doesn’t meet your standards, they might need to make up for it elsewhere in the application. Whether through a solid credit score, a reliable rental history, or a qualified co-signer, an applicant with a lower income might be able to offset it with other strengths.

Check in With Current Employers

After checking income, take the next logical step and reach out to the applicant’s employer to confirm three things:

1. That the applicant does work where they say they work,
2. That they’ve held the job for as long as they claim, and
3. That they earn as much as they say they earn.

Checking in with employers allows you to verify that an income source is still live and that the applicant can afford to pay their rent moving forward.

Review the Applicant’s Rental History and Check Landlord References

Take a good, hard look at the applicant’s rental history to determine how long they lived at each past residence and whether they have prolonged gaps between living arrangements. Next, call past landlords to confirm key details and ask questions that can reveal crucial information, such as:

• Did the tenant follow the rules and respect the lease?
• Was the unit clean and undamaged when they moved out?
• How were the tenant’s communication skills?
• Would you rent to them again?

Don’t skip this step. Past landlords can offer a wealth of information about a renter that you won’t find on a tenant-completed rental application. Just beware, some landlords may paint a rosy picture of a tenant they’re trying to get rid of.

Analyze Credit Reports

While verifying income is extremely important, examining a detailed credit report can reveal the rest of a tenant’s financial picture.

Start by analyzing the obvious: a tenant’s credit score. Most landlords look for a credit score of at least 600, but the best applicants tend to land somewhere above 700. A solid score usually means a tenant will pay their bills on time and isn’t juggling too much debt. It’s important to consider recent history more than the past. Perhaps their score was damaged by something that happened four years ago, and they’ve been reliable since then.

Also, pay attention to debt percentages, outstanding payments, and accounts that are in collections. Weighing these details can help you predict whether an applicant can handle rent along with their other financial obligations.

Assess the Criminal Background Check

Looks can be deceiving.

Even if an applicant appears solid on paper, interviews well, and acts professionally, their criminal background may reveal a different story. What if a tenant went to jail for assault, property damage, or manufacturing drugs? Wouldn’t you want to know?

To give the applicant a fair shot (and to ensure you’re not discriminating), reach out to them to chat about the offense and gauge whether it could impact their ability to be a respectful, reliable tenant.

But while everyone deserves a chance to explain themselves, your top priority should still be protecting your property and its surrounding neighbors.

Check for Any Past Evictions

Past evictions are a major red flag and one of the strongest predictors of future renter issues. Tenants who have been forced out of a residence by a judge may have issues paying rent, following lease terms, or resolving disputes.

If you see a prior eviction on a tenant’s record, think carefully before signing a lease agreement and handing over the keys. Also, make sure that your state allows you to consider eviction histories. If your screening provider screws up and includes eviction details when they weren’t supposed to, you could find yourself in hot water.

Note: TurboTenant takes great care to ensure compliance with all state-specific laws regarding credit, criminal, and eviction history across the country.

View the Application as a Sum of Its Parts

Don’t let one weak spot sink an otherwise strong house rental application.

Perhaps a tenant’s credit score is low, but their income is steady, employment is consistent, and past landlords said they always paid on time. Would you consider giving them a chance?

Look at the big picture, consider each aspect fairly, and judge the applicant based on the overall strength of their qualifications, rather than focusing on a single detail in isolation.

Federal Laws That Govern Rental Applications

If you’re creating a rental application from scratch, make sure you know what the law allows and prohibits. Federal rules limit the types of questions landlords can ask and aim to protect renters from potential discrimination. A basic understanding of the following laws will help you stay fair, legal, and out of trouble:

Fair Housing Act (FHA): Fair housing laws prohibit discrimination against applicants based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, and familial status. These rules apply from the moment someone reaches out all the way through lease signing.

Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA): This federal law requires landlords to apply the same credit standards to every applicant. Landlords cannot consider age, race, sex, marital status, or use of public housing funds when evaluating credit history or deciding whether to approve an application.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Landlords must provide reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities, both during the application process and throughout the lease.

Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA): Before running a credit check, you must obtain the applicant’s written consent. Furthermore, if you reject someone based on their credit report, you must provide them with an adverse action notice.

Civil Rights Act of 1866: This law gives every U.S. citizen the right to rent or own property, regardless of their race or skin color. It has protected equal access to housing since the post–Civil War era.

State Laws That Govern Rental Applications

Federal laws set the standard, but many states have added their own additional rules that affect rental applications. Some jurisdictions ban discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, source of income, or immigration status.

Check your state’s landlord-tenant laws to ensure you stay compliant.

Information Landlords Can Collect in Rental Applications

Landlords have every right to request certain information necessary to make a fair and legal decision. A strong house rental application should seek out non-discriminatory details that demonstrate a tenant’s ability to pay on time and respect the lease.

Here’s what landlords can legally ask for:

• Full legal name: Keeps records accurate and should match the applicant’s ID
• Contact information: Makes follow-up easy if you have questions
• Employment details: Confirms job status and supports financial reliability
• Monthly income: Helps show whether the applicant can afford rent
• Number of occupants: Clarifies exactly who plans to live in the home
• Pet Information: Tells you what animals, if any, will be on the property
• Landlord references: Give a glimpse into the applicant’s past behavior
• Rental history: Highlights patterns like on-time payments or early move-outs

Information Collected During a Tenant Background Check

• Credit score: Gives a snapshot of how the applicant handles debt and bills
• Eviction history: Points to possible issues like unpaid rent or lease-breaking
• Criminal background: Highlights offenses that could affect safety, property condition, or peaceful living among neighbors

Information Landlords Cannot Collect in Rental Applications

It bears repeating: Landlords must stick to questions that directly relate to an applicant’s ability to pay rent and follow lease terms. Any inquiries that attempt to uncover personal traits or protected characteristics can cross legal lines and put you at risk of legal consequences.

Here’s information you cannot ask about on a rental application:

• Religion: Should never play a role in housing decisions or show up on applications
• Age: Off-limits unless you manage a property legally designated for seniors
• National origin: Avoid questions about birthplace, citizenship, or immigration status
• Marital status: Protected under federal law and not tied to rental qualifications
• Disability status or medical history: Health-related questions can violate Fair Housing laws
• Pregnancy or family status: Asking about children or plans to have them is considered discriminatory
• Race or ethnicity: Protected by multiple federal laws and cannot factor into rental screening decisions

Screen Renters with TurboTenant’s Free House Rental Application Templates

If you’re sick of renting to unreliable tenants, use TurboTenant’s free house rental application templates to collect detailed information quickly and easily. Trusted by 750,000 landlords, our software ensures you collect as much vital information as possible while staying compliant.

Our all-in-one landlord software also offers one-click rental marketing, state-specific lease agreements, free rent collection, accounting and bookkeeping tools, and more. We help landlords manage their properties more efficiently without having to bounce between a multitude of one-off tools for every task they must complete, such as collecting rent, marketing properties, and running screenings.

Create a free TurboTenant account today to start sending and receiving house rental applications (at no cost to you).

FAQ: House Rental Applications