Free Rhode Island Rental Application Form

A Rhode Island rental application is a legal document used by landlords and property managers to assess and choose an appropriate tenant for a rental property. They are sometimes known by other common names, such as:

• Tenant applications
• Rental lease applications
• Lease applications
• Applications for a rental property

Having a rental application can prove highly important to make sure you get the right tenant into your property. The process of screening prospective residents in this way allows you to discover any issues such as their inability to pay rent or the likelihood to cause a nuisance before signing a contract.

It’s sensible to look over the template of an RI 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 request the right data from a tenant when asking them to fill in an RI rental application and to make sure they are properly informed about the contract. This will be essential to make sure you get the right tenant into your property.

Almost all application forms for rental properties request information from the tenant, this usually includes their personal data, rental history, employment details, income information, credit history, personal references, and 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
• The security deposit
• Associated fees

There are a few laws that must be followed in RI 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

Landlords in Rhode Island generally cannot charge a rental application fee. Under § 34-18-59, you may only charge a tenant for the actual cost of a credit check or criminal background check. Furthermore, if the applicant provides a report dated within the last 90 days, you cannot charge them any fee at all.

Security Deposit

Landlords cannot charge more than 1 months' rent if they are leasing an apartment under Rhode Island law (§ 34-18-19).

Housing Discrimination Law

Rhode Island has robust protections under the Rhode Island Fair Housing Practices Act. In addition to the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA), state law prevents landlords from discriminating against tenants based on:

• Race or color
• Nationality or ancestral origin
• Religion
• Sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity/expression
• Familial status
• Disability
• Marital status
• Victim status (domestic abuse)
• Lawful source of income (including government assistance)
• Military status

As a consequence, you are not allowed to ask for any of these details on an RI Rental Application form, nor to include them in the decision-making process. However, in Rhode Island, certain exemptions from fair housing laws exist. These are as follows:

• Housing for older persons: it is allowed to ask for an applicant's age for age-restricted communities (such as senior housing).
• Familial status: landlords may ask whether children will occupy the premises for two-family owner-occupied buildings.
• Private clubs: clubs that do not operate publicly and do not rent for commercial purposes can give preference to certain applicants.
• Religious organizations: religion can be used as a basis for giving priority to certain applicants for properties that are owned or managed by a religious organization that does not rent with commercial intent.
• Mrs. Murphy exemption: dwellings with four units or fewer, in which one unit is occupied by the owner, and where the landlord is not represented by a real estate agent, are exempt from certain fair housing requirements.

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 Rhode Island 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.

There are various other legal documents that landlords must take into account when considering new tenants. Get expert guidance on preparing other personalized property forms with our other free printable templates for the following legal forms: 

• Rhode Island Residential Lease Agreement
• Rhode Island Eviction Notice