Tick what you need, add your own items, and produce a checklist you can send to applicants before they apply.
RENTAL APPLICATION CHECKLIST Please provide the following with your application WHAT TO PROVIDE • Completed rental application for every adult occupant • Government-issued photo ID • Two to three recent pay stubs • Three months of bank statements • Two years of address history • Prior landlord names and contact details SUBMITTING • Submit documents through the secure application link rather than by email. • Incomplete applications are not reviewed until every item above is received.
An applicant who knows the full document list before they start is dramatically more likely to submit a complete application on the first attempt. Incomplete applications are the main reason a unit sits vacant an extra week.
Every document you request is a document you must store securely and eventually dispose of. Ask for what you will genuinely use in the decision, and nothing else. That is both better practice and less risk for you.
Choose exactly how you qualify applicants and generate a written requirements sheet.
Every way a landlord can verify income, what each document proves, and how to combine them.
What is normal to ask for, what is sensitive, and how to store it responsibly.
Check an applicant's income multiple, or work backwards from the multiple you require.
Define exactly what a guarantor or co-signer must provide and generate the request.
Write a screening standard you can publish, defend, and apply to every applicant.