A Texas rental application is a form that an applicant gives a landlord to ask for a residential rental. It covers your contact details, your rental and job history, and who will live with you, so the landlord can decide whether to offer the tenant a lease. Use the free Texas rental application template below to build the form online or download the PDF.
Last Updated: October 2026. This guide is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current Texas law. If you notice an error or outdated information, please contact us.
Create a free high quality Texas Rental Application online now!
Build Your Document
Answer a few simple questions to make your document in minutes
Save and Print
Save progress and finish on any device, download and print anytime
Sign and Use
Your valid, lawyer-approved document is ready
... or download your Texas Rental Application Template as a PDF file
Rental Application vs. Rental Agreement
A rental application and a rental agreement are two different documents, and the application always comes first. You fill it out to ask for the home, and landlords use it to screen each applicant. The rental lease agreement comes later, once the landlord has chosen a tenant. Tenants and landlords use several forms during a residential rental, and this is the first one.
The application mainly serves the landlord, and it works like a short written interview. Your answers help the landlord decide whether to rent the home to you, so fill it out carefully and completely.
The Texas Fair Housing Act and the Texas Property Code regulate the Texas rental relations and lease agreements.
What a Texas Rental Application Asks For
The form asks for several kinds of information. Landlords read your answers to see whether you can pay the rent and whether the home fits everyone who will live in it.
Personal information, such as your name, contact details and ID numbers
Information on occupancy, meaning who will live in the home with you
Rental history, including your current and previous landlords
The presence of a pet, with its type, breed and age
Employment history, income and your position
Vehicles, an emergency contact and a few yes or no questions
Landlords ask for these details to learn whether you can pay the rent on time and take good care of the home, and complete, accurate answers also help the review move faster.
Please note that every person over 18 years of age, willing to live in a rented apartment, has to complete an individual rental application.
Gather your photo ID, your Social Security number and the phone numbers of your past landlords and employers before you start. With everything at hand, you can finish the form in one sitting.
Texas Rental Application Fees, Deposits and Privacy
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.
When completing the rental application form, you have to pay an application fee. Under Texas law, there’s no limit to the amount of money the landlord can ask to cover this. The situation is similar to security deposit charges: the landlord can ask for any amount of money they wish.
Any Information written in a rental application cannot be passed on to third parties. Thus, third parties cannot access rental applications.
Create a free high quality Texas Rental Application online now!
How to Fill Out a Texas Rental Application Form
These steps follow the FormsPal Texas rental application template, part by part, in the same order as the form. For the quickest start, build the form online with our form-building software, then download and print it. You can also download the blank PDF from the top of the page and fill it in on your computer.
The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Texas Texas Rental Application template filled with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. The names, addresses, dates and amounts are examples only.
Property address, rent and lease term. Enter the property address, your expected move-in date, the monthly rent, the security deposit and the lease term you want, in months. Use the Property Condition lines to list any repairs you would like the landlord to consider. The Received on line at the top is for the landlord. Add your initials in the footer box at the bottom of the page.Step 1: sample entries, not a real document.
Referral source and your contact details. Mark how you heard about the property. If a real estate agent sent you, add the agent's name, phone number and e-mail. Then enter your full name, say whether there is a co-applicant, and add any former last name, your e-mail and your home, work and mobile phone numbers.Step 2: sample entries, not a real document.
ID numbers and personal description. Fill in your Social Security number, driver license number and state, date of birth, height, weight, eye color, hair color, marital status and country of citizenship.Step 3: sample entries, not a real document.
Emergency contact and occupants. Give the name, address, phone number and e-mail of an emergency contact. The form says not to name an occupant or a co-applicant here. Then start the list of other people who will live at the property, with each person's name, relationship to you and age.Step 4: sample entries, not a real document.
More occupants and your current address. Finish the occupants list. Then enter your current street address, apartment number, city, state and zip code.Step 5: sample entries, not a real document.
Current landlord and previous address. For your current home, give the landlord or property manager's name, e-mail and phone numbers, the date you moved in, your move-out date and the rent. Then begin your previous address with the street, apartment number, city, state and zip code.Step 6: sample entries, not a real document.
Previous landlord. On page 2, write the property address on the line at the top. Then give your previous landlord or property manager's name, e-mail, phone numbers, move-in date, move-out date and rent.Step 7: sample entries, not a real document.
Reason for move and employers. Write why you moved from your previous address. Then enter your current employer's name, address, supervisor, phone, fax, e-mail, start date, gross monthly income and position. Begin the previous employer block the same way.Step 8: sample entries, not a real document.
Previous job dates, other income and vehicles. Finish the previous employer with the dates you worked there, your gross monthly income and your position. Describe any other income you want the landlord to consider. List each vehicle that will be parked at the property with its type, year, make, model, license plate number and state, and monthly payment. Then answer yes or no to the pets question.Step 9: sample entries, not a real document.
Pets. If you have pets, list each one with its type and breed, name, color, weight, age and gender. Mark Y or N for neutered, declawed, rabies shots current and bite history.Step 10: sample entries, not a real document.
Last pet row and yes or no questions. Use the fourth pet row if you need it. Then answer yes or no for waterbeds or water-filled furniture, smoking, renter's insurance and military service. If the military answer is yes, also say whether the orders limit the stay to one year or less.Step 11: sample entries, not a real document.
Your history questions. Answer yes or no to each question about your past: being evicted, being asked to move out, breaching a lease, filing for bankruptcy, losing property in a foreclosure, having credit problems and being convicted of a crime. If you answer yes to the conviction question, add the location, year and type below it.Step 12: sample entries, not a real document.
Final questions, fees and your signature. Answer the questions about registered sex offenders and about additional information, and add any comments. In the Fees section, fill in the fee amount and the person or company it goes to. Then mark whether you submit an application deposit and enter its amount. Read the Authorization and Acknowledgement and Representation paragraphs, then sign and date on the Applicant's Signature line. Add your initials in the footer box on this page too.Step 13: sample entries, not a real document.
For Landlord's Use. Leave this box blank. The landlord uses it to record the date, who contacted you, how they reached you and whether the application was approved or not.Step 14: sample entries, not a real document.
Authorization to Release Information. On page 4, enter your name and the address of the property you applied for. Add the name, address, phone, fax and e-mail of the landlord, broker or representative. Read the five permissions, then sign and date on the Applicant's Signature line.Step 15: sample entries, not a real document.
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.
More Texas Rental Forms
A rental application is the first of the forms in a rental. After the landlord accepts the applicant, a Texas lease comes next. Keep a copy of your completed application so you can compare it with the lease later.
Landlords read a tenant application to judge three things: whether the applicant can afford the rent, whether past rental experience looks reliable, and whether the property suits the household. Knowing this helps you present your ID, Social Security number, employment details and rental history clearly on the rental application form.
Employment: the employer, supervisor, start date and gross monthly income, so the landlord can compare income with the rent
Rental history: names and phone numbers of previous landlords, so the landlord can ask about the earlier lease
Personal information: matching names, ID numbers and contact details across every page
Household details: the number of tenants, pets and vehicles that will come with the property
An application form that is complete, legible and consistent gives the landlord fewer reasons to ask follow-up questions.
Tips for a Stronger Texas Rental Application
A few simple habits make a rental application easier for a landlord to review and easier for you to complete. Most tenants can use them without extra paperwork, and each one takes only a few minutes.
Answer every line, and write N/A when a question does not apply to you
Use full legal names and complete addresses, matching your Texas ID, so the landlord can verify your information
Check your credit report ahead of time, since many landlords look at credit and rent payment history
Tell your references and past landlords that they may get a call
Keep a PDF copy of the signed application with your other rental forms
Applicants who prepare these items in advance usually finish the form faster and with fewer corrections.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Texas rental application?
A Texas rental application is a form you give a landlord when you want to rent a home. It lists who you are, where you have lived, where you work and who will live with you. The landlord uses it to screen applicants before offering a lease.
How long does it take to fill out a Texas rental application?
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.
What should I have ready before I start?
Keep these items next to you while you fill in the form:
Your photo ID, Social Security number and date of birth
Phone numbers for your current and previous landlords and employers
Your gross monthly income
Details of any vehicles or pets
Having them ready saves time and keeps your answers consistent.
Can I fill out the Texas rental application online?
Yes. Click Create My Document at the top of the page, answer a few questions and download the finished form. If you prefer, download the blank PDF and fill it in with the FormsPal PDF editor.
What is the For Landlord's Use box?
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.
What if I have no previous landlord in Texas?
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.
Why do Texas landlords ask for employment and income details?
Landlords use employment and income information to judge whether a tenant can afford the monthly rent. Listing the employer, supervisor, start date and gross monthly income gives the landlord what is needed to verify it.
How should I list pets and vehicles on the rental application form?
List each pet and each vehicle on its own row with the details the form asks for. For a pet that means type, breed, weight and age, and for a vehicle it means make, model, year and license plate. Complete rows help the landlord confirm that the property suits the household.
What should I do after I finish the form?
Check that your answers match your ID and pay records. Sign and date the form, then give it to the landlord. Keep a PDF or paper copy for yourself.
Other Texas Forms
Other popular Texas forms available for download on our site and that can be customized in our simple document builder.
With over 25 years of experience as a business and transactional attorney, Jennifer has mastered the craft of closing highly successful deals for her clients. Through her wide-ranging expertise in commercial contracts, real estate transactions, M&A and corporate law, Jennifer secures results that are second-to-none.
