Rental Application Form

Streamline Your Rental Applications with Paperform

Finding the right tenant is one of the most critical decisions property managers and landlords make. A thorough rental application process helps you collect the information you need to make confident leasing decisions while creating a professional first impression with prospective tenants.

This rental application form template is designed specifically for property management companies, landlords, and real estate professionals who want to simplify tenant screening without sacrificing thoroughness. Instead of juggling paper applications, email chains, and manual data entry, you can collect everything you need in one streamlined, professional form.

What Makes This Template Essential for Property Managers

This template captures all the standard information required for tenant screening:

• Personal information including full name, contact details, date of birth, and Social Security number for identity verification
• Current and previous addresses with rental history details including landlord contact information
• Employment and income verification to assess financial stability and ability to pay rent
• Emergency contacts and references for additional verification
• Pet information if applicable, including breeds, weights, and any service animal documentation
• Background and credit check consent with clear authorization language

The form uses conditional logic to show relevant follow-up questions based on applicant answers—for example, if someone indicates they have pets, additional pet-related fields appear automatically. This keeps the form concise for applicants while ensuring you collect complete information when needed.

How Paperform Transforms Rental Applications

Property managers and landlords choose Paperform because it handles the entire application workflow, not just data collection:

Accept application fees instantly: Connect Stripe, PayPal, or Square to collect non-refundable application fees ($25-$75 is typical) right within the form. No separate payment links or manual invoicing required.

Automate background checks: Use Stepper (stepper.io) to automatically trigger background and credit checks with services like TransUnion, Experian, or specialized tenant screening providers as soon as an application is submitted. This eliminates manual copy-paste between systems and speeds up your turnaround time.

Create audit trails with Papersign: Once you've approved an applicant, use Papersign (papersign.com) to convert the application data into a lease agreement and send it for eSignature. Everything stays connected—application, screening results, and signed lease—creating a complete digital record for compliance and future reference.

Smart notifications and routing: Set up conditional emails to notify your leasing team, send confirmation messages to applicants, and trigger different workflows based on application completeness or property type. If an application is missing information, you can automatically request follow-ups rather than chasing people down manually.

Built for Professional Property Management

This template reflects the polished, trustworthy experience tenants expect from professional property managers. The clean, mobile-friendly design works seamlessly whether applicants are filling it out on their phone while touring a property or from their laptop at home.

You can customize the form to match your branding—add your logo, use your brand colors, include photos of available properties, and write welcome text that reflects your company's voice. For property management firms handling multiple properties or locations, you can duplicate and customize versions for different buildings or property types while maintaining brand consistency.

The form includes clear privacy disclosures about how applicant information will be used, stored, and shared—critical for building trust and staying compliant with fair housing regulations and data privacy laws.

Integration with Your Property Management Stack

Paperform connects with the tools property managers already use:

• Send applications directly to property management software like Buildium, AppFolio, or Rent Manager
• Log applicant details in Google Sheets or Airtable for easy tracking and comparison
• Create applicant profiles automatically in your CRM (HubSpot, Pipedrive, etc.)
• Trigger Slack notifications when high-priority applications come in
• Use Stepper to build multi-step screening workflows that coordinate background checks, income verification, reference calls, and approval routing

For agencies managing multiple properties, Agency+ features let you manage separate forms and workflows for different clients or property portfolios under one account, with appropriate permissions and branding for each.

Security and Compliance for Sensitive Data

Rental applications contain highly sensitive personal and financial information. Paperform takes this seriously with SOC 2 Type II compliance, encrypted data transmission and storage, and configurable data retention policies. You can set up role-based access so only authorized team members see sensitive details like Social Security numbers.

The form includes customizable consent language for background checks, credit checks, and data processing to help you stay compliant with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), fair housing laws, and state-specific tenant screening regulations. Always consult with legal counsel to ensure your application meets local requirements.

Who This Template Is Perfect For

This rental application form works beautifully for:

• Property management companies screening tenants for multiple rental properties
• Independent landlords who want a professional application process without the overhead
• Real estate agents handling rental listings for property owners
• Multi-family housing operators managing apartments, condos, or townhomes
• Student housing providers with specialized tenant screening needs

Whether you're managing a single rental unit or a portfolio of hundreds of properties, this template gives you a professional foundation you can customize to match your specific requirements and local regulations.

Getting Started

Simply customize the template with your property details, connect your payment processor for application fees, and set up any integrations with your tenant screening or property management tools. With Paperform's intuitive editor, you can have your rental application live and collecting submissions in minutes—no developer or designer required.

Make your tenant screening process faster, more professional, and fully automated with Paperform.