How to fill out a rental application
What landlords ask for, what you can leave blank, and how to send it back the same day.
A rental application is how a landlord checks that you can pay the rent and will look after the place. It collects who you are, where you have lived, where you work and what you earn, and asks your permission to run credit and background checks. Every adult who will live in the unit usually fills one.
Fields, in order.
- 01Applicant
Full legal name, date of birth, phone and email. Use the name on your ID; the screening company matches on it.
- 02Current address
Street, city, state and ZIP, how long you have lived there, the rent you pay and your current landlord's name and phone.
- 03Previous address
Same details for the address before. Many landlords want two or three years of history.
- 04Employment
Employer, job title, start date, supervisor's phone and gross monthly income. Self-employed applicants usually add two years of tax returns.
- 05Other occupants
Everyone else who will live there, with ages. Adults usually fill their own application.
- 06Pets and vehicles
Type and number of pets, and make, model and plate of each vehicle.
- 07Authorization and signature
Your consent to credit and background checks, and your signature and date. Without it the landlord cannot process the application.
Common mistakes.
Most landlords use a three-times-rent income rule. If you are below it, add a co-signer or savings proof up front rather than leaving it to be discovered.
An empty previous-landlord line reads as a red flag. If you owned or lived with family, say so.
The screening company will not run anything without it, and the application sits in a pile.
Phone photos of a printed form are hard to read and easy to lose. Send the filled PDF itself.
Terms you will see.
Ask the document what any of them means. The answer cites the page.
Fill it, check it, sign it.
Fill it by asking
Drop the PDF, paste the facts, and the agent fills every matching field. Unmatched fields are listed so nothing is skipped.
Check it before you send
Empty required fields, a missing signature, a date that disagrees with another page. The document check lists them with page numbers.
Sign it and send it
Draw your signature and place it, free. Or send it to someone else to sign on their phone, with an audit certificate. Free, 25 a month.
Rental application,
answered.
This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Can I fill and sign a rental application online?+
Yes. Open it in Fill & Sign, type into the fields, sign, and send it straight back to the landlord from your own email.
Do I have to give my social security number?+
Many landlords ask for it to run a credit check. You can ask what screening company they use and whether it accepts an ITIN or another ID instead.
How do I send it back without downloading it?+
Click Send it back. It goes from your Gmail if you connect it, or from us with your email on reply-to.
Is the application fee refundable?+
Rules vary by state. Several states cap screening fees or require a refund if no screening is run. Ask before you pay.
Fill your Rental application in about ninety seconds.
Type into it, sign with your finger and send it back. No card needed.