Items Needed on a Rental Application Agreement
If you are not using a pre drafted rental
application form, or if you prefer to draft your own version,
there are specific questions you will need to ask prospective
tenants. These questions will assist you in determining which
applicant is most suited to take occupancy of your rental
property.
Name and current address.
Make sure applicants provide their full names, not initials or
nicknames. You will need the applicant's full, legal name to
perform any due diligence on them, including background checks.
Social Security number.
If you plan to run background or credit checks on your
applicants, you will need their Social Security numbers. Before
you run these checks, you will need to have your applicant's
permission. Many landlords include a separate authorization sheet
with their rental application forms, or by including a paragraph
in the application that grants you permission to conduct various
checks. Have your applicants initial this paragraph to prove that
they were made aware of your intentions.
Having an applicant's Social Security number can
also help avoid confusion if your applicant has a common name.
Names of other tenants planning to live on the
property.
If your applicant plans to have roommates or family members
share their dwelling, have the applicant provide the names and
ages of these co-occupants. Ask your applicant to provide their
relationship to these people, as in "family member" or
"roommate."
Their rental or residence history.
Ask for at least three of the applicant's past residences, as
well as the correct address and contact information for their
previous landlords. You can also ask your applicant why they left
their previous residences, if they provided their landlords with
proper notice, the name their utilities were in, the date of their
residency, and if they were evicted or asked to leave the
property.
Their employment history.
Ask applicants to provide information on their current and
past employers, as well as their current wage. This can help you
spot any problems, such as the inability to hold down a steady
job, which may indicate that they may be a bad risk as a tenant.
You can also determine if your applicant will be able to afford
your rental payment requirements. Many landlords prefer to have a
specific maximum percentage of their tenant's income for the rent
payment, such as 30 percent. For example, using a 30 percent
guideline, your tenant would need to make $1200 a month if you are
charging $400 a month for rent.
Their current vehicles.
If you have limited parking, this section can help reduce any
future issues with excessive use of parking spaces. You can ask
for the applicant to describe the make, model, and license plate
number of the vehicles owned by them and their co-occupants. This
section may also come in handy in determining if your applicant
has roommates or has sublet your property without your permission.
If you notice strange vehicles consistently parked on your
property, refer back to this section of the application to check
the tenant's license plate information.
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