Free Rental Application Template for Canadian Landlords (BC & Ontario)

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Key Takeaways

• Use a consistent, written application for every prospective tenant — it protects you legally and speeds up screening.
• Never ask about protected grounds under the BC Human Rights Code or Ontario Human Rights Code.
• Collect employment details, rental history, and references as the core of your screening package.
• Keep all applications and notes for at least one year in case of a human rights complaint.

---

Why You Need a Written Rental Application

A verbal application is not enough. A written rental application does three things:

1. Documents your screening criteria consistently across all applicants, protecting you from discrimination claims.
2. Collects the information you need to verify income, rental history, and references before offering a lease.
3. Creates a paper trail if a dispute or human rights complaint arises later.

Every applicant for the same unit should complete the same form. Using different forms or asking different questions for different applicants is itself a red flag in a human rights investigation.

---

What NOT to Ask (Prohibited Grounds)

Under the BC Human Rights Code and Ontario Human Rights Code, landlords cannot use the following criteria to screen or refuse applicants:

• Race, colour, or ethnicity
• Ancestry or place of origin
• Religion or creed
• Marital status or family status (including having children)
• Sex or gender
• Sexual orientation or gender identity/expression
• Physical or mental disability
• Age (subject to some exemptions for seniors housing)
• Receipt of public assistance (in BC) or social assistance income (in Ontario)
• Criminal record (context-dependent; blanket exclusions are risky)

Practical rule: If the question is not directly related to the ability to pay rent and care for the property, do not ask it.

---

Free Rental Application Template

Copy and adapt this template for your own use. All applicants for the same unit should receive the same form.

---

RENTAL APPLICATION FORM

Property Address: ___________________________________

Requested Move-In Date: ___________________________

Monthly Rent: $___________________________________

---

SECTION 1: APPLICANT INFORMATION

Field	Applicant
Full Legal Name
Date of Birth
Phone Number
Email Address
Current Address
How long at current address?
Reason for leaving current home

Co-Applicant (if any):

Field	Co-Applicant
Full Legal Name
Phone Number
Email Address

---

SECTION 2: EMPLOYMENT & INCOME

For each applicant. Self-employed applicants should provide the most recent two years of Notices of Assessment.

Field	Applicant	Co-Applicant
Employer Name
Employer Phone
Position / Role
Employment Type (FT/PT/Contract/Self-employed)
Monthly Gross Income	$	$
Length of employment
Supervisor Name

Additional Income Sources (optional):

---

---

SECTION 3: RENTAL HISTORY

List your two most recent addresses.

Previous Address 1:

Field	Details
Address
Landlord Name
Landlord Phone/Email
Monthly Rent	$
Tenancy Dates (from/to)
Reason for leaving

Previous Address 2:

Field	Details
Address
Landlord Name
Landlord Phone/Email
Monthly Rent	$
Tenancy Dates (from/to)
Reason for leaving

---

SECTION 4: REFERENCES

Provide two personal or professional references who are not family members.

Field	Reference 1	Reference 2
Name
Relationship
Phone
Email

---

SECTION 5: OCCUPANTS & PETS

Field	Details
Total number of occupants
Names and ages of all occupants
Do you have pets? (Y/N)
If yes: type, breed, weight

---

SECTION 6: VEHICLE INFORMATION (if parking is available)

Field	Details
Make / Model / Year
License Plate

---

SECTION 7: CREDIT CHECK AUTHORIZATION

I/We authorize the landlord or their agent to obtain a consumer credit report from a credit reporting agency. I/We understand this is a soft inquiry used solely for the purpose of evaluating this rental application.

Applicant Signature: _________________________ Date: __________

Co-Applicant Signature: ______________________ Date: __________

---

SECTION 8: DECLARATION

I/We declare that all information provided in this application is true and complete. I/We understand that any false or misleading information is grounds for rejection of this application or termination of tenancy.

Applicant Signature: _________________________ Date: __________

Co-Applicant Signature: ______________________ Date: __________

---

How to Use This Template

1. Distribute to every applicant for the same unit. Consistency is your legal protection.
2. Collect the form before scheduling a showing, or at the showing if you prefer. Do not accept applications only from some applicants.
3. Verify the key fields: Call the employer directly (look up the number independently, not from the application) and call the previous landlord references.
4. Run a credit check with the applicant’s written consent (included in Section 7 above).
5. Document your decision: Write down the reasons you selected or declined each applicant. Keep this on file for at least one year.

---

What to Look For

Green flags:

• Gross monthly income of 2.5-3x the monthly rent
• Stable employment history (2+ years with current employer, or consistent self-employment)
• Good references from previous landlords — particularly a “would rent to again” confirmation
• Credit score above 650 and no recent collections or evictions

Red flags:

• Gaps in rental history that cannot be explained
• Previous landlord who cannot be independently verified
• Income documentation that is inconsistent or altered
• Reluctance to provide references

---

After the Application: What to Do Next

Once you have received completed applications from interested tenants, the process moves to verification and selection. Here is the sequence that protects you legally:

1. Review all applications before contacting any applicant. Do not contact or advance any single applicant until you have collected applications from all interested parties. Pre-screening individual applicants verbally before distributing the written application creates inconsistency that can look discriminatory.

2. Apply your criteria uniformly. If your threshold is 2.5x monthly rent in gross income and a credit score above 650, apply that threshold to every application. Waiving the threshold for some applicants and not others is a red flag in a human rights investigation.

3. Run credit checks only on applicants who meet your written criteria. Running a credit check requires the applicant’s written consent — confirm Section 7 was signed. Use a Canadian bureau (Equifax Canada or TransUnion Canada) or a Canadian screening platform like Propilot.

4. Call references independently. Look up the previous landlord’s phone number using address ownership records or the property management company’s published contact information. Do not call the number the applicant wrote on the form — you cannot verify it.

5. Document your selection decision. Write a brief note explaining why you selected the applicant you chose: income verified at X, credit above threshold, strong landlord references. Write a brief note for each declined applicant referencing the objective criterion that was not met.

6. Keep everything for at least one year. In BC and Ontario, the window for filing a human rights complaint after a tenancy decision is typically one year. Your documentation is your defence if a complaint is filed.

---

Handling Co-Applicants

When two or more people will be on the lease together, each co-applicant should complete the employment and income section of the application. You can assess combined income against the income threshold — this is a common approach for couples or roommates.

Both co-applicants should sign the credit check consent in Section 7. Running a credit check on one co-applicant without consent from the other is a PIPEDA issue.

Both co-applicants sign the lease as co-tenants, making each jointly and severally liable for the full rent obligation. This matters if one co-tenant leaves during the tenancy — the remaining co-tenant is still responsible for the full rent.

---

Pet Policy

Section 5 of the template asks about pets. In BC, landlords can include a “no pets” clause in a tenancy agreement, but this does not apply to guide dogs or service animals. In Ontario, a “no pets” clause is void under the Residential Tenancies Act — Ontario landlords cannot legally refuse tenants with pets, though they can hold tenants responsible for pet-related damage.

If your property is in BC and you have a strict no-pets policy, state this clearly in your rental listing so applicants with pets self-select out before applying. Receiving applications from pet owners and then declining on that basis is a cleaner process than applying a no-pets rule inconsistently.

---

Automate Your Screening

Manually processing applications takes hours per vacancy. Propilot automates the application intake, runs credit checks, and flags red flags instantly — so you can make faster, better-documented decisions.

Learn more about AI tenant screening for Canadian landlords and see our full tenant screening checklist for Canadian landlords.

Propilot generates and manages rental applications automatically — see how it works.

---

Related Reading

• Move-In Inspection Checklist Canada — use after accepting an application
• Tenant Screening Checklist for Canadian Landlords — screening process before sending the application
• How to Screen Tenants in BC: Legal Requirements