Free Idaho Rental Application Form

Landlords use Idaho rental applications to screen and assess potential tenants before committing to an official lease. This legal document allows you to safely and confidentially collect this data from the applicant to make an informed decision on if they are the right option for your rental property.  

Rental applications are also sometimes known as:

• Applications for a rental property

• Lease applications

• Rental lease applications

• Tenant applications

The rental application document you use must be designed with ID statutes in mind. Nevertheless, you can use a rental agreement to collect the following information:

• The tenant’s rental history

• Information about their income

• Details on criminal record and credit history

• Personal references for the applicant  

There are two main types of rental applications in Idaho. You must select the most relevant one depending on the type of property being rented, local laws, and the type of leasing agreement that will be used.

Standard/General Idaho Rental Application

The most common type of vetting document used by ID landlords is an Idaho Standard Rental Application. This form can be customized according to the specific necessities of the property owner or manager.

Department of Housing And Urban Development (HUD) Rental Application

Landlords of low-income tenants or those offering Section 8 Housing should use a HUD rental application. It is specifically designed to only include information that is allowed under subsidized housing rules.

It is important to request the right data from a tenant when asking them to fill in an Idaho rental application and to make sure they are properly informed about the contract. This is essential to make sure you get the right tenant into your property.

Almost all application forms for rental properties request some or all of the following information:

• Personal data

• Rental history

• Employment details

• Income information

• Credit history

• Personal references

• Permission for background checks

Additionally, landlords must provide vital disclosures to ensure that potential residents can safely use the property. They must provide details about:

• The property’s condition

• Potential hazards to the tenant

• Shared utility arrangements

• Rent control rules

• Smoking policy (ID State. § 39-5503)

• The security deposit

• Associated fees

There are a few laws that must be followed in Idaho when you create a rental application for tenants. Failure to comply with these rules could lead to serious legal consequences and allow the tenant to sue. 

Application Fee

You can charge as much as you wish as a rental application fee. There are no laws in Idaho providing a set limit, although it is recommended to only charge enough to cover the costs of any background checks. Any amount charged to the tenant is also non-refundable. 

Security Deposit

Similar to the application fee law, there is no Idaho statute defining a limit on the amount landlords can charge tenants for security deposits. There is also no requirement for the provision of receipts or holding requirements. However, the landlord is obligated to keep valid records of any security deposits they are sent. 

Housing Discrimination Law

In Idaho, there is no specific state law relating to housing discrimination. However, the Fair Housing Act (FHA) is in place. The FHA states that it is illegal to discriminate based on the following characteristics: 

• Race

• Nationality

• Religion

• Sex

• Familial status

• Disability

• Criminal history

As a consequence, you are not allowed to ask for any of these details on an Idaho Rental Application form, nor to include them in the decision-making process.

Notice of Eligibility

Tenants must be told about any specific screening criteria, as well as the reasons that they could be denied or approved by the landlord. To show that this information has been shared, a signature of acknowledgment from the tenant is required.

Consent Credit Check

Under the Federal Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), tenants being screened in Idaho must consent to any credit checks you wish to carry out. To make sure you comply with the law, the applicant must provide written acknowledgment of the screening on the application form.

It’s sensible to look over the template of an Idaho rental application before starting your own. This can help to give you a better idea of what your final form will look like and the kind of information you’ll need to add to it.

It is important to stay on top of your rented real estate. By using the right legal forms, this is a much easier task so that you can remain legally compliant with the rules in Idaho.

Use one of our real estate legal forms below to make sure everything runs smoothly:

• Idaho Residential Lease Agreement

• Idaho Eviction Notice