A Tenant Application Form is a document that landlords and property managers use to gather information from prospective tenants when renting a residential space, such as a house, apartment, basement, or room.

Using Tenant Applications is an objective way of evaluating applicants to see if they are suitable for a rental property before entering into a Residential Tenancy Agreement. By screening applicants, you’re more likely to find quality tenants. 

A Tenant Application Form is also known as a

• Pre-tenancy application form
• Residential rental application

While looking for a renter, Tenant Application Forms help landlords and property managers achieve the following:

1. Collect information from each applicant, such as their name, contact info, rental history, proof of income, etc. 
2. Obtain an applicant’s authorisation to conduct a credit history check and criminal background check.
3. Screen applicants to ensure they’re suitable for the property and can meet their financial obligations.
4. Verify the information provided by the applicants by checking landlord references, credit reports, and more.
5. Propose lease terms such as the rental amount, bond, lease duration, and availability date.

Landlords and property managers should provide a Tenant Application Form to every person interested in leasing the available rental unit.

Any person interested in an available rental unit should fill out an application to lease a residential rental property. It's uncommon that someone would secure a rental space without first filling out an application form.

Using a template is the easiest way to create a Tenant Application Form for prospective renters to fill out.

With our template, landlords and property managers provide some initial information to prepopulate the template, such as:

• The rental property’s address
• The availability date
• The type and length of lease term
• The rent amount and frequency
• The bond amount
• The name and contact information of the landlord or property manager

In addition, landlords and property managers can specify whether pets, smoking, and waterbeds are allowed in the rental property. Also, information regarding parking may be included. Providing applicants with this information ensures that tenants are not met with any surprises.

Once the landlord or property manager has provided the necessary information in the template, they save and download the application and distribute it to interested renters, either by printing it or sending it digitally. The application will have blank fields for applicants to provide their information.

When applicants fill out a Tenant Application they provide their:

• Name
• Email address and phone number(s)
• Date of birth
• Desired move-in date

If there is a co-applicant, they should also provide their information. For example, if spouses are applying to rent a property, they can provide both their information. If an applicant has a child or someone who will live with them whose name won’t appear on the lease, they may list this person as an occupant.

Besides the above information, landlords and property managers have the option to require the following from a prospective tenant:

• Rental history: If required, a tenant must provide their current and previous rental information, so landlords and property managers can contact previous landlords.
• Proof of income: If required, a tenant must provide proof of income, such as a pay stub, employer letter, or previous years’ tax return.
• Identification: If required, a tenant must provide a copy of photo identification, such as a driver's license.

Often, requiring identification is only necessary if the landlord isn’t meeting the tenant in person.

When collecting information from prospective tenants, landlords have a responsibility to protect every applicant's information and keep it private. Furthermore, landlords must abide by New Zealand’s Privacy Act 2020. Under this act, the New Zealand Government states that landlords must:

• Have a lawful purpose for collecting the information
• Not collect more personal information than is necessary
• Not use the collected information for anything besides screening
• Not share the collected information with anyone else without the tenant’s permission
• Inform applicants why they are collecting the information, what it will be used for, and who it will be shared with
• Store the information securely
• Grant tenants the right to access and correct the information
• Securely dispose of any collected information once it’s not needed

Before a landlord can legally run a credit or criminal background check, they must obtain the applicant's written consent. Conducting a background check without the applicant's consent violates their privacy.

A standard credit record (also known as a credit history) may include the applicant’s: 

• Credit score or rating
• Current and previous loans
• Bankruptcies
• Records of late payments

A criminal background check determines if the applicant has been convicted of a crime.

Although a landlord is permitted to ask an applicant to consent to a credit record or criminal background check, they shouldn’t follow through with that credit check unless they are truly considering the applicant as a tenant.