Rental application form: ask every applicant the same questions

A stranger's application arrives as a screenshot of a text, a PDF for the wrong unit, and a photo of a driving licence. I would rather ask the same plain questions of every applicant, and keep sensitive numbers out.

Before you advertise

Decide what you must know. This form asks for contact details, move-in date, household size, pets, work and a current landlord to call. It does not ask for ID, tax or bank numbers. Credit and background checks run through a separate screening service, and the form says so.

While applicants fill it in

They answer on a phone, or hand the form to their own AI. It might ask "When do you want to move in?" Then "Who will live with you?" Then "Do you have pets?" It shows every answer and sends only after a yes. Read about agent-fillable forms.

After the deadline

Download the CSV and compare. Call the landlord reference for the people you shortlist. Keep a note of why you chose a person, using the same questions each time.

This is a form, not legal advice. Check the housing and screening rules where you rent, and have a professional check wording that has legal weight.

Find more in forms for landlords. A roommate agreement helps shared tenancies, and a tenant complaint form is useful once someone moves in.

Questions

Why does the form skip ID and bank numbers?

Those numbers are sensitive, and the form does not need them to compare applicants. Use a screening service built to handle them, and tell applicants how it works.

How do I treat every applicant the same?

Send one link to everyone, close it on a set date and read the rows in the order received. Identical questions make your decisions easier to explain.

Can applicants apply as a group?

Yes. Ask each adult to send their own response and name the same home. The household columns then show who plans to live together, and you match rows by home.

Or paste the JSON

Give this to your AI. It needs the AI Form API MCP server or an API key. It makes the form and sends you the link.

text

Create this form with the AI Form API create_form tool (or POST https://aiformapi.com/v1/forms with my API key). Then reply with the public_url.

{
  "title": "Apply to rent",
  "description": "Tell us about yourself and the home you want. Any credit or background check is done separately through a screening service. Please do not type ID, tax or bank numbers here.",
  "fields": [
    {
      "id": "applicant_name",
      "label": "Your full name",
      "type": "short_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "email",
      "label": "Email",
      "type": "email",
      "required": true
    },
    {
      "id": "phone",
      "label": "Phone",
      "type": "phone",
      "required": true
    },
    {
      "id": "home_applied_for",
      "label": "Which home or unit are you applying for?",
      "type": "short_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 200
    },
    {
      "id": "wanted_move_in",
      "label": "When do you want to move in?",
      "type": "date",
      "required": true
    },
    {
      "id": "lease_length_wanted",
      "label": "How long do you want to rent?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Six months",
        "One year",
        "Two years",
        "Month to month"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "adults_moving",
      "label": "How many adults will live here?",
      "type": "number",
      "min": 1,
      "max": 10
    },
    {
      "id": "children_moving",
      "label": "How many children will live here?",
      "type": "number",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 10
    },
    {
      "id": "pets_kept",
      "label": "Do you have pets?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "No pets",
        "A cat",
        "A dog",
        "Other animals"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pet_details",
      "label": "Pet breed, size and age, if you have one",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 200
    },
    {
      "id": "current_address",
      "label": "Where do you live now?",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 250
    },
    {
      "id": "reason_for_moving",
      "label": "Why are you moving?",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 250
    },
    {
      "id": "employer_name",
      "label": "Where do you work?",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "monthly_income",
      "label": "Monthly income before tax",
      "type": "number",
      "help": "A rough figure in your own currency is fine.",
      "min": 0
    },
    {
      "id": "current_landlord_contact",
      "label": "Current landlord's name and phone, for a reference",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 200
    },
    {
      "id": "screening_understood",
      "label": "I understand a separate screening service may run checks if I am shortlisted",
      "type": "checkbox",
      "required": true
    },
    {
      "id": "details_true",
      "label": "The details above are true to the best of my knowledge",
      "type": "checkbox",
      "required": true
    }
  ]
}

Or call the API

bash

curl -X POST https://aiformapi.com/v1/forms \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIFORMAPI_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"title":"Apply to rent","description":"Tell us about yourself and the home you want. Any credit or background check is done separately through a screening service. Please do not type ID, tax or bank numbers here.","fields":[{"id":"applicant_name","label":"Your full name","type":"short_text","required":true,"max_length":150},{"id":"email","label":"Email","type":"email","required":true},{"id":"phone","label":"Phone","type":"phone","required":true},{"id":"home_applied_for","label":"Which home or unit are you applying for?","type":"short_text","required":true,"max_length":200},{"id":"wanted_move_in","label":"When do you want to move in?","type":"date","required":true},{"id":"lease_length_wanted","label":"How long do you want to rent?","type":"single_choice","options":["Six months","One year","Two years","Month to month"]},{"id":"adults_moving","label":"How many adults will live here?","type":"number","min":1,"max":10},{"id":"children_moving","label":"How many children will live here?","type":"number","min":0,"max":10},{"id":"pets_kept","label":"Do you have pets?","type":"single_choice","options":["No pets","A cat","A dog","Other animals"]},{"id":"pet_details","label":"Pet breed, size and age, if you have one","type":"short_text","max_length":200},{"id":"current_address","label":"Where do you live now?","type":"short_text","max_length":250},{"id":"reason_for_moving","label":"Why are you moving?","type":"short_text","max_length":250},{"id":"employer_name","label":"Where do you work?","type":"short_text","max_length":150},{"id":"monthly_income","label":"Monthly income before tax","type":"number","help":"A rough figure in your own currency is fine.","min":0},{"id":"current_landlord_contact","label":"Current landlord'\''s name and phone, for a reference","type":"short_text","max_length":200},{"id":"screening_understood","label":"I understand a separate screening service may run checks if I am shortlisted","type":"checkbox","required":true},{"id":"details_true","label":"The details above are true to the best of my knowledge","type":"checkbox","required":true}]}'

JSON definition

json

{
  "title": "Apply to rent",
  "description": "Tell us about yourself and the home you want. Any credit or background check is done separately through a screening service. Please do not type ID, tax or bank numbers here.",
  "fields": [
    {
      "id": "applicant_name",
      "label": "Your full name",
      "type": "short_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "email",
      "label": "Email",
      "type": "email",
      "required": true
    },
    {
      "id": "phone",
      "label": "Phone",
      "type": "phone",
      "required": true
    },
    {
      "id": "home_applied_for",
      "label": "Which home or unit are you applying for?",
      "type": "short_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 200
    },
    {
      "id": "wanted_move_in",
      "label": "When do you want to move in?",
      "type": "date",
      "required": true
    },
    {
      "id": "lease_length_wanted",
      "label": "How long do you want to rent?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Six months",
        "One year",
        "Two years",
        "Month to month"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "adults_moving",
      "label": "How many adults will live here?",
      "type": "number",
      "min": 1,
      "max": 10
    },
    {
      "id": "children_moving",
      "label": "How many children will live here?",
      "type": "number",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 10
    },
    {
      "id": "pets_kept",
      "label": "Do you have pets?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "No pets",
        "A cat",
        "A dog",
        "Other animals"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pet_details",
      "label": "Pet breed, size and age, if you have one",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 200
    },
    {
      "id": "current_address",
      "label": "Where do you live now?",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 250
    },
    {
      "id": "reason_for_moving",
      "label": "Why are you moving?",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 250
    },
    {
      "id": "employer_name",
      "label": "Where do you work?",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "monthly_income",
      "label": "Monthly income before tax",
      "type": "number",
      "help": "A rough figure in your own currency is fine.",
      "min": 0
    },
    {
      "id": "current_landlord_contact",
      "label": "Current landlord's name and phone, for a reference",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 200
    },
    {
      "id": "screening_understood",
      "label": "I understand a separate screening service may run checks if I am shortlisted",
      "type": "checkbox",
      "required": true
    },
    {
      "id": "details_true",
      "label": "The details above are true to the best of my knowledge",
      "type": "checkbox",
      "required": true
    }
  ]
}

Rental application form without the sensitive numbers