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A Texas rental application is a written request to rent a home. The form lists the applicant's identity, occupants, rental history, employment, income, vehicles and pets for screening. The application is needed by landlords screening applicants, especially before signing a residential lease.
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A Texas rental application collects the applicant's identity, household, rental history and income, so the landlord can judge whether the applicant can pay the rent and whether the home fits everyone who will live in it.
The form is also called a Texas residential lease application or a Texas lease application form. Landlords and property managers use it the same way under any of these names.
The vehicles section of the application lists each vehicle that will be parked at the property, with its type, year, make, model, license plate and monthly payment, so the landlord can plan parking. Under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.0132, a landlord who issues a parking permit to a tenant must issue it for a term coterminous with the lease term and may not terminate or suspend it until the tenant's right of possession ends.
The application asks whether the applicant is in military service and, if so, whether the orders limit the stay, because a military move can end a lease early. When a lease is terminated under the military lease termination rule of Tex. Prop. Code § 92.017, the landlord shall refund, not later than the 30th day after the effective date of the termination, all rent paid in advance for any period after that date.
| Document Name | Texas Rental Application Form |
| Other Names | TX Rental Application, Texas Application to Rent, Texas Residential Lease Application |
| Avg. Time to Fill Out | 20 minutes |
| # of Fillable Fields | 207 |
| Available Formats | Adobe PDF |
A rental application is the request that comes before the lease: the applicant fills it out to ask for the home, and the landlord reads it to screen each applicant. The rental lease agreement comes later, once the landlord has chosen a tenant, and it sets the rent, the term and the rules both sides follow.
The application mainly serves the landlord, and it works like a short written interview. A signed application does not give the applicant the home; the signed lease does.
A Texas rental application is filled out by each applicant who will sign the lease, and each co-applicant completes a separate form, while other occupants appear by name, relationship and age on the main applicant's form.
The occupants list tells the landlord how many people will live in the home. Tex. Prop. Code § 92.010 sets the maximum number of adults a landlord may allow to occupy a dwelling at three times the number of bedrooms, except as subsection (b) of that section provides.
The emergency contact is a separate person. The form says not to name an occupant or a co-applicant as the emergency contact.
The Fees section of the application names the fee amount and the person or company it goes to, and a separate line shows whether the applicant submits an application deposit and how much it is. Check the cost before you apply. The application fee and the security deposit are separate amounts, and both are listed on the form. Ask the landlord what each one covers and get the answer in writing.
The form shows the landlord's figures for each amount, and those figures are the ones to confirm before paying.
The security deposit on the application is money the landlord holds during the lease and returns at the end, under the deposit rules of the Texas Property Code. Except as provided by Section 92.107, Tex. Prop. Code § 92.103 requires the landlord to refund a security deposit on or before the 30th day after the date the tenant surrenders the premises.
The Authorization to Release Information is the page that lets the landlord contact the applicant's references, such as past landlords and employers, to confirm the answers on the application. It names the applicant, the property applied for and the landlord, broker or representative who receives the information, and the applicant signs and dates it after reading its permissions.
Tell your references and past landlords that they may get a call. A reference that answers quickly helps the landlord finish the review.
The Texas rental application is filled out part by part, in the order of the form, from the property details at the top to the release authorization at the end. Download the blank PDF from the top of the page and fill it in on your computer, or print it and write by hand.
The screenshots under each step show the form filled with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. The names, addresses, dates and amounts are examples only.
The first part of the form covers the home, the applicant and the household: the property and rent, how the applicant heard about it, the applicant's contact details and identity, an emergency contact and the list of occupants.
The middle part of the form covers where the applicant has lived and worked, with landlord and employer contacts the landlord can call, then the vehicles and pets that come with the household.
The last part of the form covers the applicant's history questions, the fees and both signatures, ending with the Authorization to Release Information that lets the landlord check references.
Check that every name, date and amount matches your ID and pay records before you hand over the form. A mismatch can slow down the landlord's review.
A finished Texas rental application is signed on two lines and initialed in the footer boxes, then handed to the landlord or property manager with any fee or deposit the Fees section lists.
A tenant application shows the landlord whether the applicant can afford the rent, whether past rental experience looks reliable and whether the property suits the household.
An application form that is complete, legible and consistent gives the landlord fewer reasons to ask follow-up questions.
A rental application is slowed most often by blank lines and mismatched details, since the landlord has to ask about each one before deciding.
An approved application leads to the signed lease, and from that point the Texas Property Code and federal law set duties the landlord owes the new tenant.
| Rule | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Copy of the lease | The landlord provides at least one complete copy of the lease to at least one tenant who is a party to it, not later than the third business day after each party signs. | Tex. Prop. Code § 92.024 |
| Rekeying | Except as subsection (e) provides, a security device operated by a key, card or combination is rekeyed at the landlord's expense not later than the seventh day after each tenant turnover date. | Tex. Prop. Code § 92.156 |
| Smoke alarms | The landlord installs at least one smoke alarm in each separate bedroom in a dwelling unit. | Tex. Prop. Code § 92.255 |
| Flood history | If the landlord knows that flooding damaged any part of the dwelling at least once in the five-year period before the lease's effective date, the landlord gives the tenant a written notice. | Tex. Prop. Code § 92.0135 |
| Lead-based paint | In target housing, the lessor gives the tenant a lead hazard information pamphlet and discloses any known lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards. | 42 U.S.C. § 4852d |
| Target housing | Housing built before 1978, except housing for the elderly or persons with disabilities or a 0-bedroom dwelling, unless a child under 6 years of age lives or is expected to live there. | 42 U.S.C. § 4851b |
A rental application is the first of the forms in a Texas rental, and a Texas lease comes next once the landlord accepts the applicant. Keep a copy of your completed application so you can compare it with the lease later.
The Texas rental lease agreement templates page covers the other lease forms used in Texas.
The form takes about 20 minutes to complete if you have your details ready. It has more than 200 fillable fields, but most are short lines for names, dates, phone numbers and addresses.
Keep these items next to you while you fill in the form:
Having them ready saves time and keeps your answers consistent.
A landlord or listing agent can name the application to use, such as a residential lease application from a Realtors or apartment association, and the applicant then fills out that form. These forms ask for the same kinds of details: identity, occupants, rental history, employment, vehicles, pets and a release authorization.
A rental application works for a room as well as a whole home. Under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.001, a dwelling means one or more rooms rented for use as a permanent residence under a single lease to one or more tenants.
That box at the bottom of page 3 is for the landlord. It records when you were told the result, how the landlord reached you and whether the application was approved. Leave it blank.
Write N/A on the previous landlord lines, or add a short note that explains your housing situation, such as living with family. A clear note works better than an empty line.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
