Tenancy Application Form
Written by The Landlord on 13 Apr 2011Do any of you landlords/Letting Agents out there currently use Tenancy Application Forms? I suspect they’re commonly used amongst letting agents, but not so much with private landlords. It’s something I’ve never used before, but intend on using going forward.
What is a Tenancy Application Form?
It’s essentially a form which prospective tenants are asked to complete either before or during a viewing.
Here is a list of details requested for in a tenancy application form:
- Tenancy details: property address, rental period, number of applicants, proposed tenancy start date.
- Tenant’s personal details: tenant’s name, contact details, and time at current address.
- Current Landlord: details about current landlord.
- Referee / Guarantor Details: details about guarantor
- Employment details: current and past employment details, and details regarding salary
- Details about occupiers: details about all the people that will occupy the property
- Other details: details such as smoking status, pet status
Why are Tenancy Application Forms useful?
The main reasons why a Tenancy Application Form is appealing to me is as follows:
- If I have a vacant property which is receiving interest from several prospective tenants, I will have a neat list of all applicants with all their details. It makes it much easier to manage the applicants details.
- The completed forms make it much easier to determine which applicant is most desirable, which will effectively help me choose the better tenant. For example, I can easily see which applicant has a greater salary and stronger rental history.
- Some of the details on the Tenancy Application Form aren’t always found in Tenancy Agreements, but may be useful even after a tenancy has been created. For example, next of kin details maybe useful in case of an emergency.
- The application form can quickly eliminate tenants from the line-up if they don’t meet a specific requirement e.g. lack of Guarantor
- You can build a directory of people to contact if a similar property becomes available. This is probably more useful for letting agents, or landlords with a portfolio of properties.
- You can use the tenant’s employment and current/previous landlords details for references, to ensure they’re legitimate and have a good track record.
Are Tenancy Application Forms legally required?
I want to clarify that Tenancy Application Forms are NOT legally required, although they make sense because of the points listed above.
Can I modify the Tenancy Application Form?
The application form can be tailored to a landlord’s preference. Landlords are entitled to ask prospective tenants any appropriate question that they see fit. However, I would advise to avoid asking too many questions, sticking to questions which has a direct relation to letting the property, and personal questions that may seem “too personal” Crossing those lines could act as a repellent.
I’ve seen a few Tenancy Application Forms which require bank details from the applicant. I’m not entirely convinced details like that are necessary at such early stages, so I removed that section. I know if I was a prospective tenant, I wouldn’t want to give up my bank details to a private landlord if I wasn’t even sure I wanted the property. However, I’d be more comfortable giving a letting agent those kind of details.
Download Tenancy Application Form
Here’s a generic sample copy of a Tenancy Application Form. Feel free to use it.
Tenancy Application Form
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6 Comments - join the conversation...
Yup, yours definitely looks better. Thanks for the link. However, some of the questions seem a bit too intrusive e.g. Passport number. Is something like that necessary? I usually just ask for proof of ID e.g. photo driving license.
I've added point #2 to the list :)
Many thanks.
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I have never asked for passport number people normally use national insurance number or provide Driving Licence number. I'd only ever presume it would be used via police in case of incident, as long as one of the three is recorded I am happy.
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It's also a great way to find out gritty details without sounding to prying and it's nice to have a simple record of the tenants details etc!
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I definitely agree with the gritty details part- I think that's the main basis of its appeal to me :)
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At number one it says "Use a tenancy application form that requests details of the last 3 years residences, dob, nI and next of kin"
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I initially started this website because I wanted to document my every step from property idiot to property landlord,
in hope that people would find my site and help me along the way. I literally didn't have a clue about being a landlord
when I started this website.
(1) To compare potential tenants
(2) An directory of people to contact if its available again (or other properties).
(3) A quick reference instead of digging out Lease.
If we are sharing, here is one I created (a bit better no?):
http://yourletting.biz/documents-for-tenants/Tenants-Enquiry-Form.pdf
If you are going to apply for insurance from no rent payment, then you will need simular information to supply insurance company.
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