How to Create a Tenant Screening Form (+ Examples)

With approximately 2.7 million household eviction cases filed annually in the US alone, a solid tenant screening process is an absolute must for finding suitable renters for your properties. And it all starts with the right tenant screening form.

A clear, well-structured tenant screening form ensures that you’re renting to the right tenants—the ones who pay rent on time and don’t cause problems.

Unsure what to include? We’re breaking it down. Keep reading to learn exactly what to put in your tenant screening form (we’ll share some examples, too) so you can make smart, informed decisions from day one.

Quick Insights

• A strong tenant screening form helps defend against late payments, property damage, and fraud, giving you a consistent, fact-based way to assess applicants.
• Include these essential sections in your form: personal details, rental history, employment and income, financial information, background check consent, references, and additional disclosures.
• Compliance matters—to avoid legal risks, always confirm your form and screening process complies with the FHA, FCRA, and data privacy laws.
• Design a clean, digital-friendly screening form that’s easy to fill out, includes clear instructions, and allows for electronic signatures.
• Pair your tenant screening form with tools like Snappt to detect fraud, verify income, and spot red flags—so you can screen smarter and reduce risk.

Why a Tenant Screening Form is Essential

Every property manager is looking to avoid bad tenants and find reliable renters who pay rent on time, take care of the space, and don’t cause unnecessary drama. But finding these residents isn’t about luck—it’s all about creating a streamlined process.

A quality tenant screening form is your first line of defense. Use it to collect all the essential details from applicants, like income, employment history, rental references, and more. This information helps you determine whether an applicant is a good fit.

Without a tenant screening form and process, you’re flying blind. But with it? You’re making decisions based on facts, not gut feelings.

But the benefits of a tenant screening form go beyond sourcing facts. A solid screening form creates consistency. Every applicant answers the same questions, proceeds through the same checks, and is assessed using the same criteria.

This uniformity is key to staying organized and complying with laws like the Fair Housing Act. When your process is clear, structured, and objective, it protects you from potential claims of bias or discrimination.

Then there’s fraud. Today, property managers report detecting 75% of fraudulently altered applications. Before the pandemic, it was 90%—catching fraud is getting more difficult.

A detailed tenant screening form, paired with a fraud detection tool like Snappt, makes it much more difficult for dishonest applicants to slip through the cracks.

 A well-designed tenant screening form saves time, reduces risk, and sets the tone for a smooth and healthy landlord-tenant relationship.

7 Key Sections to Include in a Tenant Screening Form

To be effective, your tenant screening form should be thorough. You need vital information to conduct background checks, review their rental history, confirm employment and income, and assess their financials.

As you build out your form, make sure you include the following sections.

1. Basic Personal Information

Before you can assess a potential renter’s rental history, employment and income, or financial situation, you need basic details about them, like:

• Full name (as it appears on legal documents)
• Date of birth and Social Security Number (SSN)
• Contact information, including phone number and email address
• Emergency contact details from a family member or friend

2. Current and Previous Rental History

If history is the best predictor of the future, you want to talk with previous landlords and get a sense of whether the applicant is a reliable renter or if they’ve had any previous issues.

Do that by asking for an applicant’s:

• Current address and previous landlord contact information
• Length of stay at current and previous addresses
• Reason for leaving previous rental properties
• Previous rental disputes or any prior evictions

3. Employment and Income Verification

Employment and income verification are a crucial part of the tenant screening process—after all, they confirm employment and a steady income that suggests they’d be able to afford rent.

Ask for employment information, like:

• Current employment status and position
• Employer’s name and contact information
• Monthly income and employment history
• Self-employment details (if applicable)

4. Financial Information

A credit check gives you an idea about the applicant’s financial stability. It evaluates their ability to manage their money and pay bills on time. 

Generally, a good credit score suggests a person is financially responsible, which is a green flag. But remember to look at their whole financial picture, not just their score.

Meanwhile, verifying an applicant’s income confirms their earnings through pay stubs or bank statements. It proves that a potential tenant can comfortably pay the rent, and you don’t have to worry about missed payments.

A good rule of thumb is that no more than 30% of your tenant’s annual income should go towards rent. However, many landlords choose not to follow this recommended rule in more expensive areas.

Your tenant screening form should ask applicants about:

• Their credit score (optional)—include a consent box to run a credit check
• Bank account information to verify income and financial stability
• Debts, loans, or other financial obligations that may impact their ability to pay rent

5. Consent for Background and Credit Checks

Carrying out a background check means you’re aware of an applicant’s criminal record and eviction history. While requesting a background check might first feel awkward, learning about a potential tenant’s rental, eviction, and criminal history is necessary.

The safety and security of your property and any other tenants living there is paramount. 

Include the below in your tenant screening form:

• Authorization to run criminal background, credit, and eviction checks
• Disclosure of how the information will be used and stored

6. Personal References

References provide valuable insights into a person’s character and reliability. Reach out to any previous landlords and employers to learn more about the applicant’s punctuality in paying rent, overall behavior, and how they treated the last properties they lived in.

You’ll need to ask for:

• Contact information for personal and professional references
• What types of references are preferred, like previous landlords or employers

7. Additional Information and Disclosures

This is a space for potential renters to share any other necessary information, such as whether they own any pets or smoke. In most cases, you can approve these additions at your own discretion. 

Add a section to your tenant screening form that asks about:

• Any pets or vehicles they own
• Smoking status
• Other adults or dependents moving in with the tenant

Legal Considerations When Creating a Tenant Screening Form

Every property manager needs to be aware of and follow a few key legal areas to stay compliant and protect both their applicants and the property.

Follow the Fair Housing Act to Avoid Discrimination

The Fair Housing Act is a federal law that prohibits discrimination based on:

• Race
• Color
• National origin
• Religion
• Sex
• Disability
• Familial status

Many state and local laws take it a step further, protecting tenants from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status. 

Create every screening form with care, avoiding any discriminatory language. Likewise, the screening process must apply equally to every applicant.

For example, if you ask one applicant about their immigration status, you must ask every applicant the same question.

Comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) for Credit Checks

Next up is the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). If you’re running credit checks on your applicants, you’re legally required to get written permission from them.

You also need to let them know that you’ll use the report as part of your decision-making process.

If you deny an application based on a credit report, you need to provide an adverse action notice. This notice explains why you’ve denied the applicant and how they can dispute the report if they wish.

Protect Privacy and Data

You’re collecting sensitive, personal information, so remember to consider data privacy, too. Store applications and any sensitive information safely, limit access, and follow the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s Disposal Rule when it’s time to get rid of anything.

Sometimes it involves shredding documents or securely deleting digital files.

Best Practices for Designing a Tenant Screening Form

Ready to create your tenant screening form? Follow these best practices to ensure you get the information you need:

Keep it simple. Avoid technical jargon, long sentences, or confusing language. Clear, straightforward questions make it easier for applicants to provide accurate information.

Use a professional layout. Organize the form into clearly labeled sections, such as contact information, employment, rental references, and so on. You can also add brief instructions or examples where necessary to avoid confusion.

Include a signature and consent section. Add a section at the end of the tenant screening form for the applicant to provide written consent (sign and date) for credit and background checks. Make sure it’s easy to spot so they don’t miss it.

Make it digital-friendly. Use tools like Google Forms, Typeform, or property management software to create a digital version of your form for improved accessibility. Digital forms are easy to share, track, and complete. Plus, e-signatures help speed up the process and keep everything organized.

Examples of Effective Tenant Screening Forms

You don’t have to start from scratch—customize one of these ready-to-use tenant screening forms or use them as inspiration to create your own:

• Digital Basic Tenant Screening Form for a Small Property by Jotform. Basic tenant screening forms generally ask short, straightforward questions that focus on personal and employment details.
• Digital Comprehensive Tenant Screening Form for Multi-Family Properties by Jotform. Comprehensive tenant screening forms tend to be more in-depth, covering everything from rental history and financial stability to references.

Notice how both of these forms are digital? As more people rely on their phones to browse the web, scroll social media, and fill out forms, it’s vital you create a tenant screening form that’s available online.

How to Implement Your Tenant Screening Form in Your Application Process

A tenant screening form is only as useful as the process you build around it. You need to understand when to use it and how to act on the information you collect.

When to Provide the Form

Timing matters. While sending a tenant screening form to every person who shows interest in a property might seem efficient, it’s usually best to wait until the official application stage. 

By then, you’re dealing with people who are seriously interested in the property rather than casual browsers. Plus, you’re reducing the amount of sensitive data you’re collecting, which will need to be destroyed further down the line.

If you’re swamped with pre-application inquiries, providing a light pre-screening version might be helpful earlier in the process. Ask for basic information and anything in the longer version of the form that’s particularly important to you to weed out applicants who don’t meet your basic requirements.

How to Verify the Information Provided

Once the forms have been filled out, verify your applicants. This involves contacting listed employers and landlords, confirming income, and making sure the ID provided is genuine. 

If something doesn’t add up or seem quite right, try to avoid jumping to conclusions and follow up with the applicant. You never know—there might be a fair and reasonable explanation. 

While it might be easier to rely on emails alone, speak to people directly if you have any questions. But, as the whole process can be long-winded, try not to burn yourself out by screening too many potential tenants.

When it comes to credit checks or background reports, make sure to use a trusted screening service like Snappt that complies with FCRA rules. 

Use the Tenant Screening Form with Other Screening Tools

Your new tenant screening form is just one piece of a larger puzzle. Team your form with a formal rental application, background check, credit report, and even a brief face-to-face chat when screening tenants. 

The goal is to ensure there’s consistency across every source of information. If the form says one thing but the background check doesn’t match, it’s a red flag that needs exploring.

Screen Smarter with the Right Form

Remember to include all the essentials in your form, including personal details, rental history, employment and income verification, financial information, consent for background checks, and personal references.

Then, customize your tenant screening form to match your property and what’s important to you. 

Keep your form up to date with any changes to local laws or tenant expectations. It should be a living document that evolves with your property and tenant needs.

When it comes to verifying the information collected in your tenant screening form, Snappt can help flag fraud detection so you can have greater confidence in every application you review.