Find legal forms, law schools, and legal resources
Try “residential lease” — forms for your state are shown first.
California landlord · tenant screening
Download the California residential rental application — screens prospective tenants with application-money elections, a standalone screening-report authorization, and the disclosures federal and California law require — in fillable Word and fillable PDF, with the California Tenant Selection Criteria sheet, the California Completion & Compliance Guide.
Renting out property in more than one state? This page is the California application — each state's edition is built to its own screening and application-money law.
Every file below is included: the fillable Word application, a fillable PDF, the California Tenant Selection Criteria sheet, the California Completion & Compliance Guide, and the Oakland Fair Chance Housing rider with the City of Oakland’s official notice for Oakland properties.
The real document — not a mockup. Page 1 of the form included in your download.
Every part of the form, in order — the application summary, 17 sections, and the office-use panel.
About this form
A residential rental application is the landlord's first line of protection: it collects the applicant's identity, household composition, rental history, employment and income, and references, and it carries the disclosures and signed authorizations that make lawful tenant screening possible before a lease is signed.
California law shapes three things this edition builds in. First, the application-fee rules of Civil Code § 1950.6: a screening fee may not exceed the actual out-of-pocket cost of the screening, up to a statutory ceiling, and the owner/manager must give an itemized receipt and refund any unused portion — Section 1 walks the owner/manager through the two lawful paths. Second, the Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act (Civ. Code § 1786.16): when an investigative consumer report may be requested, the applicant must receive a specific written notice, so this edition includes the standalone California Investigative Consumer Report Notice as its own instrument page. Third, the reusable-report rule of Civil Code § 1950.1: if the applicant tenders a qualifying recent reusable screening report, no new fee may be charged.
The California Tenant Selection Criteria sheet in this kit is the printed notice that supports consistent, documented screening: you fill in your property’s standards, and making it available with each application keeps the criteria uniform across applicants. The California Completion & Compliance Guide covers the money elections, the § 1950.6 receipt and refund duties, the reusable-report rule, source-of-income and fair-chance limits, and recordkeeping.
ILRG provides self-help legal forms and download support. PublicLegal landlord forms are provided for you to complete with your own property and screening information. Screening rules vary by state and change frequently — the Completion & Compliance Guide explains the rules in your state and the steps that keep this application within them. If you are not 100 percent satisfied after purchasing from us, contact us for a refund.
The California residential rental application in fillable Word (.docx) with a fillable PDF, the California Tenant Selection Criteria sheet, the California Completion & Compliance Guide (money elections, deadlines, refunds, adverse action, and recordkeeping), the standalone California Investigative Consumer Report Notice, and — for Oakland properties — the Oakland Fair Chance Housing rider with the City’s official notice. A completed sample is available as an optional add-on.
Under Civil Code § 1950.6, a screening fee may not exceed the actual out-of-pocket cost of obtaining the screening reports, up to a statutory ceiling. The owner/manager must give the applicant an itemized receipt and refund any portion not actually spent. Section 1 of the application is a two-path disclosure the owner/manager completes before handing out the form, and the office-use panel tracks the receipt and refund.
California’s Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act (Civ. Code § 1786.16) requires a specific written notice whenever an investigative consumer report — one that gathers character, general reputation, or mode-of-living information — may be requested about an applicant. This kit includes that notice as its own page so it is delivered cleanly and can be shown to have been given.
Under Civil Code § 1950.1, if an applicant tenders a qualifying recent reusable or portable tenant-screening report, you may not charge a new screening fee for the same information. Section 12 of the application records the election, and the Completion & Compliance Guide explains when a tendered report qualifies.
If a consumer report contributed to the denial or to a conditional approval such as a higher deposit, federal law requires an adverse-action notice identifying the reporting agency, stating that the agency did not make the decision, and explaining the applicant’s free-report and dispute rights. The Completion & Compliance Guide includes a template notice and explains California’s refund duties.