If you’re a landlord, you’ll want to find an efficient way to pre-screen your tenants before they begin living at your property.
One way to do this is to craft a rental property application agreement, which tenants fill out in advance for you to review. This is an excellent way to lay out your requirements, restrictions, and property details – and to get them to make important declarations about their personal and financial situation.
Of course, different landlords have different requirements, which is why we recommend you use this editable Rental Property Application Form, so you can quickly tick the right boxes with the information you need, and then auto-generate the document.
Keep reading to learn more about the rental application, when to use it, what it should include, and much more.
What is an application form for house rental?
This application form is an option document landlords can use to ascertain information about the tenant, prior to them signing the actual rental agreement.
It works as part of the pre-screening process because it lets you assess the situation of multiple applicants before moving them on to the next stage.
The idea is that it will help you narrow down the tenant pool to the point where you can pick the best candidate to rent a property, partly based on the information they have provided on the rental application.
Why use a rental application form?
It is a useful tool to help landlords and letting agents navigate the tenant selection process (as well as property managers). For most landlords, it can be a nerve-wracking time, because a bad tenant can have huge consequences for the property and the landlord’s financial situation. For that reason, application forms can streamline the process. Here are the benefits:
- You save time – Once you have the sample document, you can simply hand it out or email it to any prospective tenants with no further thought. It also helps you put together a tenancy agreement that matches the situation of your tenant.
- You create a fair process – When all candidates receive the same form, they are all assessed against the same criteria. This ensures that your application process is fair and clear to all.
- You get data – the information you get from the form allows you to assess applicants based on objective data.
- You protect your property – this form will help you get a reliable tenant who pays the rent on time and looks after your property.
When should you send a rental application for property?
Rental applications for property should be sent to prospective tenants once they have applied to your property through a letting agent. The sooner you send it, the sooner you will have the information you need to make a clear decision.
What should be considered & concluded in a tenancy application?
Not every application will look the same. You might be letting a small flat or a large property, allowing pets or banning them, doing extensive background checks or just the basics.
However, we outline the key features that every tenancy application should include and consider below:
- Contact information – to get hold of potential tenants easily, you will need their personal information and contact details.
- Residential rental history – covering previous landlords, where they have lived and for how long.
- Employment details – their current employment status, salary and type of work.
- Banking information – e.g. the security/holding deposit required.
- Property lease information – when it is available from and for how long.
- Rent payment amount – how much the rent will be and when it is due. (get our rent arrears template here)
How to process rental application forms?
This will depend upon how many applications you have, and the competitivity of your property. Data from Rightmove suggests that landlords had an average of 11 enquiries per property in 2024 – which is quite a few to assess. In this situation it might be best to enter the data into a spreadsheet to compare the situations of each applicant.
On the other hand, for one or two applications, you can make a simple assessment by looking at the two documents side by side and considering the pros and cons of each (or even accept neither).
Frequently asked questions – application to rent property
1. What are the rules for handling tenant’s data?
Any information tenants provide needs to be kept confidential, and when no longer required (or authorised), it must be disposed of. As such, you must follow The Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK-GDPR regulations, and ensure that it is used fairly, lawfully and with integrity.
2. Should I ask for the national insurance number of the application to rent?
Ideally, no. The UK government encourages employers and landlords not to request an NI number except when absolutely necessary – i.e. there is no other option.
This is because anyone who discloses their number is immediately at a higher risk of fraud, if the number were to be discovered by the wrong person or posted online.
You can choose to designate a passport for identification instead.
3. Is it appropriate to ask for proof of income (e.g., payslips, bank statements)?
Yes, it’s appropriate to ask for proof of income to assess affordability. Request recent payslips (e.g., last 3 months) or bank statements showing salary deposits. For self-employed applicants, ask for tax returns or accountants’ statements.
4. Should I include questions about benefits (e.g., Universal Credit, Housing Benefit)?
Yes, because this has an impact on affordability. Make sure you ask this question neutrally in order not to cause offence. E.g. “Do you receive any benefits that will help cover the rent (e.g., Universal Credit, Housing Benefit)? If yes, please provide details.”
5. Should I ask about pets and, if so, what specifics (breed, size etc.)?
Yes, this is always a good idea. There’s a major difference between a tenant who wants to bring along their small Chihuahua and a tenant who intends to live with their Great Dane! The type of pet and its size will impact whether it’s a good fit for the property.
Feeling confident about rental property application documents?
Hopefully, we’ve helped you understand the value and impact of a well-designed rental house application. Once you know what information you need to include, you can use this Rental Property Application Form and print it out as a Word document or PDF.
