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Prospective tenants will typically need to complete an Arizona rental application form to indicate their interest in a property and to become a part of the selection pool.
Since the tenant will be engaging in what is effectively a business transaction, the form provides a precursor to a lease agreement and gives landlords a point of reference for each candidate.
If you're interested in what the application process looks like in Arizona, you've come to the right place. Now, let's take you through the important details!
Arizona Rental Applications
Applications in Arizona come in two different flavors. The first is a standard or general application, while the second is a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) application.
The one potential tenants will use depends on the type of lease agreement, as well as local laws and the type of property that's being rented.
Standard
A tenant in the making will likely use this one in most cases. These often differ from one applicant to the next as the property manager or owner can customize it as desired.
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Rental Application
If a landlord has a low-income applicant, this is the form that is used as it's specifically designed for such contexts or for those that may be providing Section 8 Housing.
What To Include
A tenant in the making will need to provide some critical data points to ensure that the screening process goes as smoothly as possible. The following information is standard:
- Personal data of every prospective tenant
- Rental history
- Personal references
- Credit history
- Background checks consent
- Income and employment details
Build Your Own
The Arizona rental application form is followed by the lease agreement (upon a successful application), which is free to download from eForm. To make things a little easier for you, we decided to list them here!
Landlord Disclosures
Beyond the standard entries, Arizona landlords are required to make several disclosures to an applicant using the document. Some of the information you'll see is:
- Smoking policy
- Expectations surrounding security deposits
- Application fee requirements
- Condition of the property
- Any shared utility arrangements
- Any hazards the tenant may have to deal with
Important Laws
In Arizona, several laws govern the proceedings between a landlord and a tenant prospect. Note that rental agreements tend to rely on these rules, which means that the preparation and signing of a rental application must be done with them in mind.
Security Deposit
According to ARS 33-1321(A) of Arizona law, the maximum security deposit that a landlord can request is an amount equivalent to one and a half months' rent. Additionally, there are to be no non-refundable deposits, except in cases where there may be deductions.
Housing Discrimination Law
The Fair Housing Act, which was enacted as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, guides an applicant and an owner/property manager here as no state law speaks to it. Essentially, it protects a prospective tenant from any of the following forms of discrimination:
- Color
- Race
- Sex
- Religion
- Nationality
- Criminal history
- Disability
- Familial status
Therefore, landlords are not to ask any applicant for this kind of information on the rental application form. Additionally, non of them should be a deciding factor in accepting or rejecting a tenant.
Credit Check Consent
The Federal Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) mandates that any potential tenant must provide written consent before a credit report request may be carried out by landlords.
Note that the conducting of a background check must also be held off unless an applicant has provided written consent in the application document.
Eligibility Notice
The screening process will have points of evaluation that will be used to accept or reject tenants. A signature of acknowledgment is used to indicate that they were shared with the rental application.
Application Fee
The application fee that a prospective tenant will incur is not limited by law. It is non-refundable and there is also no statute to determine who can legally charge it.
Note, however, that retention of the application fee is not set in stone. For it to remain this way, the text "non-refundable" must be included on the application document.
In the absence of this, the prospective tenant may reclaim the fee thanks to ARS 33-1321(A).
Eviction Records
Any evictions that occur in Arizona are public records. Therefore, unlike a background check that requires consent, anyone can access it.
The state's Judicial Court Directory maintains a database that allows for on-demand requests. Additionally, screening service providers, as well as custom-written software can also often access these details.
The Bottom Line
From names to credit history, housing providers need to ensure that all the required information is present in an application form at creation time. On the flip side, it's important to bear in mind that certain details such as familial status and nationality are not to be requested.
Thankfully, there's no reason for you to take on the job on your own. Consider using DoorLoop to simplify things tremendously! After all, other important things need your attention too.
FAQs
What Is a Good Way to Rate Arizona Rental Application Forms?
When a tenant is looking for a housing solution, it takes standing out to landlords more than other potential renters do. As a landlord, scrutinizing an application form for completeness is one of the best ways to start the process.
After going through the trouble of creating a comprehensive form, the expectation is that someone who wants the housing will provide the complete details required.
If applicants are skipping sections or bypassing required details entirely it demonstrates either a failure to understand the requirements or a conscious decision to ignore them, both of which are questionable outcomes.
Will Arizona Landlords Do the Tenant Screening Process Directly?
While some landlords may take a more hands-on approach to every aspect of the screening process, others don't and instead use third-party providers to handle the job. Doing so gets rid of some of the administrative overhead and allows for the capacity to effectively handle other affairs or even other elements of the rental preparations.
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