A rental application should help a landlord assess an applicant without collecting a file full of information that isn't needed. An old template can do the opposite: ask for a SIN and bank details, leave no room for someone without a previous landlord, and turn every missing field into another email.
Start with the information relevant to the tenancy. Add supporting checks when they are needed, and decide how the records will be protected before collecting them.
This guide covers seven sections to review, fields to remove and a practical collection sequence. Provincial privacy and human-rights rules differ; the BC and Ontario examples below are identified where they apply.
A quick checklist for a rental application form
Use these prompts to review an existing form. They are a starting point to adapt to the province and rental, rather than a finished form:
- Applicants: legal name and contact details for each person applying to sign the lease.
- Household: proposed number of occupants, without unnecessary personal details about other household members.
- Rental details: property, preferred move-in date and parking needs.
- Rental history: relevant previous addresses and landlord contacts, where available.
- Alternative evidence: space to explain what the applicant can provide if a conventional reference or record is unavailable.
- Supporting checks: for any checks you need to run, collect only the information required—for example, consent and the details needed to order a credit report.
- Consent: what will be checked, why, by whom and how to ask questions about the information.
The form, field by field
1. Applicants and occupants
Give each proposed lease signer their own applicant section, and link co-applicants to the same household application. Record legal names, phone numbers and email addresses.
Ask how many people intend to live in the unit. Avoid collecting everyone’s date of birth or detailed family relationships by default. If additional information is required for a legitimate occupancy or eligibility rule, identify that purpose first. A building preference is not, by itself, a reason to screen out a family.
2. Identity
An identity check helps establish that the landlord is dealing with the person named in the application. It doesn't show whether they can pay the rent, and it doesn't validate every document they upload.
For a manual check in BC, the privacy commissioner’s guidance recommends inspecting identification and returning it, rather than retaining a copy. For an online service, review what information it collects, stores and shares. BC privacy guidance
Keep identity-check results separate from credit and income checks. A document being in the file doesn't mean its contents have been checked.
3. Rental history
Ask for relevant previous addresses, approximate tenancy dates and landlord contact details where available. Include a prompt such as: “Haven’t rented before, or can’t provide a landlord reference? Tell us what other information you can provide to support your application.”
Remove any automatic requirement for Canadian history or a minimum number of years renting. An overseas reference or a first-time renter’s alternative evidence deserves consideration. Ontario guidance distinguishes missing rental history from a poor record. OHRC rental-housing policy
4. Income and supporting evidence
When income information is appropriate to collect, ask for the amount available to pay rent and how it can be verified. Provide room for employment, self-employment, pensions, benefits, savings or other relevant resources.
Avoid making a pay stub the only acceptable proof. Request the specific evidence needed for the check, and let applicants redact unrelated sensitive information. A whole bank statement or tax return can reveal much more than the figure needed.
In Ontario, income information must be considered with available rental-history and credit information; it can be considered alone when neither is available. The OHRC says fixed rent-to-income ratios are not permitted, apart from the subsidized-housing exception. OHRC guidance for landlords
Do not add employment-tenure or permanent-job requirements to the form.
5. References
Collect the reference’s name, relationship to the applicant and contact information, with permission to contact them. A landlord reference may help verify tenancy history; an employer contact serves a different purpose.
Leave room for alternatives when an applicant has never rented or does not earn employment income. “One landlord and one employer” should not become a universal eligibility rule.
Ask factual questions tied to the tenancy or information being verified. Record the answer and any follow-up needed, rather than labelling a reference “good” or “bad” without context.
6. Rental details
Ask for the preferred move-in date and any practical requirements, such as parking. State the tenancy terms on offer so applicants can identify a mismatch early.
Handle pets and occupancy restrictions under the rules that apply to the rental, including applicable accommodation obligations. Avoid importing a no-pets clause or deposit requirement from a generic template.
7. Consent and contact information
Explain the purpose of each check and who will receive the information. Separate permission to contact references from permission to order a credit report, and identify the screening provider.
Provide a contact for privacy questions and a way to correct application information. Finish with an accuracy declaration, signature and date.
A signed form does not make every request appropriate. Collect only information justified by the tenancy decision and the rules that apply. The federal privacy commissioner’s landlord guidance is a useful starting point for those questions.
Fields to remove from an old template
- Required SIN field. Service Canada says people do not have to provide their SIN for rental applications. Do not make it a condition of applying. Service Canada SIN guidance
- Bank account and transit numbers at application. Keep payment setup separate. Even after a tenancy begins, collect only the details needed for the agreed payment method.
- Social-media handles and unrelated personal questions. They create extra collection without a clear purpose in assessing this tenancy.
- Health-card numbers, medical details and irrelevant licence information. Keep the form focused on the checks actually needed.
- Questions about religion, country of origin, marital status or plans to have children. Remove screening questions that invite decisions based on protected personal characteristics.
- Rigid income-source boxes. Give applicants a way to explain verifiable resources without treating employment income as the only acceptable answer.
Collect information in stages
For a manual process, this sequence avoids requesting a complete document package from every inquiry:
StagePurposeWhat to collect or checkInitial applicationEstablish interest and relevant basicsApplicant contacts, rental details and available history or references. Explain the next steps.Further considerationResolve specific information gapsRelevant reference checks and identity verification; supporting financial evidence only where appropriate and necessary.Final considerationComplete a justified credit checkRequired identifiers and consent, using the selected screening service.BC’s privacy guidance discusses income or employment evidence where references are inadequate, and recommends running appropriate credit checks late in selection on the few applicants under serious consideration. BC guidance, sections 17–18
An online platform may collect information earlier. Understand its actual sequence before telling applicants what they will need and when.
Keep useful records, securely
Track one household application per row, with linked records for each co-applicant. Useful columns include:
- Application stage and proposed move-in date.
- Relevant checks completed, their dates and factual results.
- Information still needed and the applicant’s explanation.
- Decision and the relevant reasons recorded at the time.
- Retention deadline and eventual disposal.
Restrict access to people involved in the decision. Keep sensitive documents out of a broadly shared tracking sheet; link to appropriately secured storage instead.
Set a retention policy before collecting applications. In BC, PIPA requires personal information used in a decision directly affecting someone to be kept for at least one year after use. After applicable retention requirements and legitimate legal or business needs end, securely destroy or de-identify it. An unsuccessful application is not automatically ready for immediate deletion. BC PIPA, section 35
Apply screening criteria consistently, and leave room for relevant explanations, alternative evidence and required accommodation.
Where Property Copilot fits
Property Copilot’s online application workflow brings application information and supporting documents together, with identity verification before applicants submit.
That provides an organized starting point for review. The landlord still needs to assess the information, follow up on gaps and decide which checks are appropriate. Identity verification does not verify a pay stub or make the tenancy decision.
When a credit check is appropriate and the required consent is in place, Property Copilot users can order Equifax-powered credit screening for $25 per report.
FAQ
Should a landlord ask for a guarantor?
Don't require a guarantor automatically just because someone is a newcomer or lacks Canadian history. Ontario guidance distinguishes those assumptions from relevant evidence such as a poor payment record. Consider the actual application and appropriate alternatives before imposing an extra condition. OHRC guarantor guidance
What if an applicant has no Canadian rental or credit history?
Ask what evidence is available, such as an overseas landlord reference or appropriate financial information. Record what it shows. No rental history isn’t the same as a poor rental history. Assess the application rather than treating a blank field as a reason to reject it.
Can an applicant provide their own credit report?
An applicant-supplied report can provide information, but check its date, identity details and completeness. If further verification is needed, explain the concern. Before ordering a separate report, establish that the check is appropriate and obtain the required consent.
What if an applicant leaves a section blank?
Check whether the question applies before requesting more information. Ask for necessary missing details in one clear message, offer suitable alternatives and give a reasonable response period. Consider accommodation needs rather than assuming every incomplete application has the same explanation.