Single Family Homes for Rent No Application Fee
In this article:
- What is a rental awarding?
- Why do I demand a rental application?
- What is the boilerplate rental application fee?
- What should I include in a rental application?
- How does the tenant screening procedure work?
A big part of successfully managing a rental property is finding reliable tenants. And the first pace in finding reliable renters is your rental application and screening process. According to the Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trends Report 2019,* 87% of renters submitted at least one rental application before signing a lease. Zillow'south online rental application and tenant screening tool — which includes features like 3rd-party background checks and credit screening — is a great way to find tenants for your property.
What is a rental application ?
A rental awarding is a document used past a landlord or belongings manager to appraise prospective tenants who are interested in renting a room, unit of measurement or property. It looks at the prospective tenant's:
- Personal information
- Household information
- Residential history
- Employment and income
- Background information
You may exist familiar with rental applications in the grade of a downloadable PDF. Zillow uses an online rental application that is portable. This means the renter only has to pay in one case to submit a rental application to an unlimited number of participating landlords within a 30-day period. When applications are completed, they will be available in your Zillow Rental Manager business relationship under the Applications department of your listing.
Every bit you lot review rental applications , it's important to sympathise and comply with all applicable fair housing laws . These laws forestall bigotry due to race, religion, ethnic background or nationality, gender, age, family status, disability and more.
Why do I need a rental application?
The rental application and tenant screening procedure (including criminal and background checks) provide critical information nigh the renter's groundwork and history. By looking at income and other financial weather, you can feel bodacious that the applicant will be able to pay rent each month.
Practice I take to use a rental application class ?
While you're non required to use a rental awarding form, you lot should always utilise a consistent organisation to gather and review information about prospective tenants. A rental application course can provide valuable information in an like shooting fish in a barrel-to-review format, whether yous're renting a single-family holding, apartment, vacation rental or but a room in your house . Zillow Rental Director offers an easy online rental application and screening process . Meet how information technology works:
Does each tenant demand to fill out a rental awarding ?
All prospective tenants over xviii years of age should consummate their own rental application . If you're renting your property to multiple people, each person can list co-applicants on their tenant application form , only everyone over xviii should also consummate their own application.
What is the average rental application fee?
The typical rental application fee amid renters who paid ane is $50, according to the Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trends Report 2019. Generally, application fees also cover the cost of performing a credit and groundwork check. The fees vary by location — some states allow landlords to accuse a market-based rental application fee , and others have a limit on the corporeality y'all can accuse.
If you're using Zillow'southward Rental Managing director tool, the applicant pays a $29 rental application fee to use the tool for upwardly to 30 days (during which time they can apply to any backdrop that accept Zillow applications). However much you lot charge, it's e'er important to be upfront about the cost.
How are rental application fees collected?
Rental application fees are paid past the renter when they apply. If they're applying online, the fee is usually paid with a credit or debit card. Paper applications may apply a credit or debit menu, check or money guild.
When you lot use Zillow Rental Director , you can invite prospective renters to complete the tenant awarding form online. To ship an invitation to employ, go to the Applications tab, click on Send Invite , and enter the applicant's email address.
When should I refund the rental application fee ?
Application fees should not exist collected before yous're ready to run a credit and background check. Equally a best exercise, y'all should only accept fees from applicants who encounter your rental requirements (such equally income), and some state or local laws may require you to refund all rental application fees for all applicants who you practice not select to be the tenant.
What should I include in a rental application ?
Rental applications tin can include a variety of questions, but make sure to comply with fair housing laws. Whether you lot're providing a newspaper or online application, a basic rental application form might include:
1. Personal data
Have the bidder provide enough information so you can properly run background and credit checks and contact them. Common identification factors include:
- Proper name
- Phone number
- Email address
- Emergency contact details
Note that off-white housing laws consider historic period a protected form, and so only ask for an applicant'southward historic period if necessary for verifying their identity or if your rental is in an historic period-restricted customs.
Hither's what the personal information section looks like on a rental application sample from Zillow'south Rental Manager tool (appearance may vary):
ii. Household information
This section is where applicants disclose information like how many people will be living in the home, if they have pets and when they will be able to motion in. According to the Zillow Grouping Consumer Housing Trends Study 2019:
- 53% of rental households include pets: Choosing to permit pets is up to you, but a large per centum of renters immediately turn down a property with pet restrictions.
- 79% of renters live with another person: Make sure all occupants are listed on the application, and have all applicants over eighteen complete their own applications likewise.
Hither'south what the household information section might look like on your tenant'due south application :
3. Residential history
Applicants are required to provide a residential history for the past three years, including rentals, owned properties and other living situations. You'll want to assemble:
- Their electric current address and any previous addresses in the past three years
- The dates they lived in each residence
- Monthly rent or mortgage payments
- Names and contact information for previous landlords
- Their reason for moving
Yous can use the previous landlord'southward contact information equally a reference for your applicants — only exist certain to let the applicant know y'all plan on contacting their landlord.
Your residence history section of the rental application might look like this:
iv. Employment and income
It's critical to verify that the bidder will exist able to pay hire. This department of the rental awarding generally requires:
- Current employer'due south proper name and address
- Applicant's task title
- Bidder'southward monthly gross income
- Additional sources of income
- Length of employment
- Supervisor'southward proper name, phone number and email address
If the applicant gives their permission , yous can contact their electric current employer to verify this data. It's ideal for applicants to accept monthly gross income that's at least three times the monthly rent price, but their past payment history and rent amount may be a ameliorate indicator of ability to pay than a strict minimum income requirement.
Hither'due south an example of a completed employment and income history section on a rental application:
five. Background data
This section asks some yeah/no questions about major issues that may touch your decision to accept or deny their application for a home rental. Some questions you might ask, as long equally they comply with off-white housing laws, are:
- Take you lot ever filed for bankruptcy in the past seven years?
- Have you ever been evicted from a rental?
- Do you fume?
6. Disclosure
As a landlord or property manager, you need an bidder's permission to run credit and background checks, too equally to contact their employer and landlord for references. Brand sure your disclosure is worded according to landlord-tenant laws and complies with all applicable fair housing laws and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Your rental application should also include:
- The corporeality of the application processing fee (and whether information technology's refundable)
- Belongings deposit paid past the applicant and the total belongings deposit (if applicative)
- Accost of the residence existence held (if applicable)
vii. Signature and completion date
Information technology's a good idea to make sure your rental application is signed and dated. This acknowledges that both the landlord and the applicant take read the application and agree to its terms.
Over half (59%) of renters prefer to apply for a rental online — Zillow offers a digital solution that makes information technology like shooting fish in a barrel to submit rental applications online.
Once an applicant has signed the form, you'll run across a summary similar this at the beginning of the Zillow rental awarding:
How does the tenant screening process piece of work?
Once all prospective tenants take completed their rental awarding , you can proceed with the tenant screening process.
- Run a tenant background check : As a landlord, in certain circumstances, y'all tin can be liable for illegal activity, violence or disruption that'due south caused by your tenants. Zillow uses Checkr to screen applicants — you'll become results dorsum in minutes. On some rare occasions, a background check can require a manual review, which may accept up to 24 hours.
- Run a credit report : Make sure the applicant has enough income to beget hire. A credit report will show if they're making current payments on time, if they take any prior bankruptcies or evictions, and if their prior residences match what's on their application.
- Verify employment and income: Call the applicant's employer to brand sure their income matches what's on the awarding. You can besides request the bidder's near recent pay stubs.
- Call former landlords to verify rental history : You should ask their current or former landlord if the bidder paid rent on time, took good care of the property and whether the landlord would rent to them again.
- Select an bidder: Fair housing laws prevent discrimination based on several protected classes, so make sure you're complying with federal, land and local laws when you decide to accept or deny an applicant.
- Create a rental charter understanding : This will outline the terms of the rental and any policies and requirements. Send the rental agreement along with a summary of amounts due at signing, if applicative.
For more than articles, tips and trends, visit our Rentals Resource Middle .
*Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trends Written report 2019 survey data
Source: https://www.zillow.com/rental-manager/resources/rental-application-form/
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