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In Tennessee, a Rental Application helps landlords follow legal screening rules while collecting important tenant details. It covers rental history, income, credit checks, and more for every adult applicant. This process helps guarantee informed decisions before entering a lease agreement.
Last Update February 6th, 2026
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Using a Tennessee Rental Application allows you to screen a tenant before formally signing a lease agreement with them.
Each renter over 18 that will occupy the residence must complete their own individual tenant form.
Having a prospective tenant complete a TN Rental Application is an important step for real estate owners when making a final decision on whom to rent a property to.
This legal document allows you to assess the income, background, and rental history of the applicant before entering a binding contract to ensure no issues arise once the tenancy begins.
Looking over a readily prepared template of a rental application can make it much easier to create your own. Review our document sample below to get more familiar with what your application form will look like when it’s completed.
When you create a Rental Application in Tennessee, there are 2 types of templates that are most commonly used. Depending on the property, its designation, and the location it’s being rented in, you could need either of the following forms.
The most common form used by Tennessee landlords. These can be adjusted and modified to fit the precise needs of you or a property manager, as well as the data you want to acquire from the applicant.
This is a type of Rental Application used by owners or managers of Section 8 Housing. The HUD Rental Application is designed and optimized to screen tenants who qualify for subsidized housing.
It is important to request the right data from a tenant when asking them to fill in a Tennessee 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 some or all of the following information:
Additionally, landlords must provide vital disclosures to ensure that potential residents can safely use the property. They must provide details about:
Tennessee has many rules and statutes regulating its housing market. These must be fully considered when preparing an application for rental properties in the state.
There is no limit in terms of what application fee can be charged by Tennessee landlords. Furthermore, the application fee is non-refundable regardless of its amount.
Tennessee law sets no limit on security deposits but requires landlords to store them in a separate account, notify tenants, allow inspections, return deposits within 60 days, transfer them if the property is sold, and keep valid records (§ 66-28-301).
In Tennessee, there is no specific state law relating to housing discrimination. However, the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA) states that it is illegal to discriminate based on these characteristics:
Landlords must inform tenants of screening criteria and reasons for approval or denial, with a signed acknowledgement. If denial is based on a credit report, an Adverse Action Notice listing up to four specific factors must be provided.
Within Tennessee, federal law is in effect that requires potential renters to provide written consent for a credit history check during the application process. This is known as the Federal Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
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 Tennessee.
Use one of our real estate legal forms below to make sure everything runs smoothly:
Having a good idea of what you can and cannot use a Tennessee rental application for is important. In our FAQs below, we explain what is and isn’t allowed when you create your own form.
The screening process in Tennessee starts with a Rental Application, allowing landlords to review key tenant details before offering a lease.
This includes checking income, rental history, employment, credit reports, and any criminal records to guarantee that the applicant is a reliable choice for the property.
During the screening process with a Tennessee Rental Application, certain questions are prohibited by federal law. You cannot ask about race, religion, ethnicity, sexuality, immigration status, arrest records, marital status, or if the applicant has children.
No, in Tennessee, rental application fees are not refundable. This is because the money taken from the applicant is used to cover any necessary screening fees.
