Rental Application in California

A rental application that collects what landlords commonly ask for. Follow your state's limits on application fees and fair-housing rules: ask every applicant the same questions.

What California law says

Application / screening fees	An application screening fee is capped at the landlord's actual out-of-pocket costs and the value of time spent, and may not exceed $30 per applicant, adjusted annually by CPI since 1998. Guarantors and cosigners count as applicants. A landlord may not charge a fee when it knows or should know that no unit is or will soon be available. Since January 1, 2025 (AB 2493), a fee is allowed only if the landlord either (A) considers completed applications in the order received under written screening criteria given with the application, approves the first qualified applicant, and charges no fee until an application is actually considered (fees collected by mistake must be refunded within 7 days), or (B) refunds the full fee to every applicant who is not selected, within 7 days of selecting a tenant or 30 days after the application, whichever comes first. The landlord must give an itemized receipt and, if a fee was paid, a copy of the credit report within 7 days of receiving it. Any part of the fee not spent on screening must be refunded. If a landlord chooses to accept a reusable tenant screening report (prepared within the last 30 days at the applicant's expense), it may not charge an application fee or a fee to access that report. Section 1950.6 was last amended by AB 1170 (Stats. 2025, ch. 67, effective Jan. 1, 2026); the AB 2493 process rules are in subdivision (c). The current CPI-adjusted dollar figure is not published in the statute. Landlords are not required to accept reusable reports (§ 1950.1(h)). Text verified via the Legislative Counsel pubinfo database. Source: Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1950.6, 1950.1
Statewide ban on refusing Section 8 / source of income	Yes. Statewide, owners may not discriminate in housing because of source of income, or advertise a preference based on it. Source of income means lawful, verifiable income paid to the tenant or a representative, or paid to the landlord for the tenant. It includes federal, state, and local public assistance and housing subsidies, including Section 8 vouchers. HUD-VASH vouchers are expressly included. When there is a government rent subsidy, the owner may not apply income standards to the full rent rather than the tenant's share. Since January 1, 2024 (SB 267), the owner also may not use credit history without offering the applicant the option to show ability to pay the tenant's share with alternative evidence (such as benefit records, pay records, or bank statements), and must reasonably consider that evidence. Current § 12927(i) text (last amended by Stats. 2019, ch. 601, SB 222) verified. Exemptions under FEHA (for example, certain owner-occupied single-roomer situations) were not re-verified. Text verified via the Legislative Counsel pubinfo database. Source: Cal. Gov. Code §§ 12955(a), (c), (o) (as amended by SB 267, Stats. 2023, ch. 776); 12927(i)

Application / screening fees

An application screening fee is capped at the landlord's actual out-of-pocket costs and the value of time spent, and may not exceed $30 per applicant, adjusted annually by CPI since 1998. Guarantors and cosigners count as applicants. A landlord may not charge a fee when it knows or should know that no unit is or will soon be available. Since January 1, 2025 (AB 2493), a fee is allowed only if the landlord either (A) considers completed applications in the order received under written screening criteria given with the application, approves the first qualified applicant, and charges no fee until an application is actually considered (fees collected by mistake must be refunded within 7 days), or (B) refunds the full fee to every applicant who is not selected, within 7 days of selecting a tenant or 30 days after the application, whichever comes first. The landlord must give an itemized receipt and, if a fee was paid, a copy of the credit report within 7 days of receiving it. Any part of the fee not spent on screening must be refunded. If a landlord chooses to accept a reusable tenant screening report (prepared within the last 30 days at the applicant's expense), it may not charge an application fee or a fee to access that report.

Section 1950.6 was last amended by AB 1170 (Stats. 2025, ch. 67, effective Jan. 1, 2026); the AB 2493 process rules are in subdivision (c). The current CPI-adjusted dollar figure is not published in the statute. Landlords are not required to accept reusable reports (§ 1950.1(h)). Text verified via the Legislative Counsel pubinfo database.

Source: Cal. Civ. Code §§ 1950.6, 1950.1

Statewide ban on refusing Section 8 / source of income

Yes. Statewide, owners may not discriminate in housing because of source of income, or advertise a preference based on it. Source of income means lawful, verifiable income paid to the tenant or a representative, or paid to the landlord for the tenant. It includes federal, state, and local public assistance and housing subsidies, including Section 8 vouchers. HUD-VASH vouchers are expressly included. When there is a government rent subsidy, the owner may not apply income standards to the full rent rather than the tenant's share. Since January 1, 2024 (SB 267), the owner also may not use credit history without offering the applicant the option to show ability to pay the tenant's share with alternative evidence (such as benefit records, pay records, or bank statements), and must reasonably consider that evidence.

Current § 12927(i) text (last amended by Stats. 2019, ch. 601, SB 222) verified. Exemptions under FEHA (for example, certain owner-occupied single-roomer situations) were not re-verified. Text verified via the Legislative Counsel pubinfo database.

Source: Cal. Gov. Code §§ 12955(a), (c), (o) (as amended by SB 267, Stats. 2023, ch. 776); 12927(i)

Fill it in

Nothing you type leaves your browser. Replace anything still highlighted, and keep a signed copy.

RENTAL APPLICATION — [rental address]

Applicant name: [applicant name] Phone: [phone] Email: [email]

Current address: [current address] How long: [time at current address] Current rent: $[current rent]

Current landlord: [current landlord name and phone]

Previous address and landlord: [previous address and landlord]

Employer: [employer] Position: [position] Monthly income: $[monthly income] Other income (including housing vouchers or benefits): [other income]

Other adults who will live in the unit: [other adult occupants] Number of minors: [number of minors]

Pets or assistance animals: [pets] Vehicles: [vehicles]

Application fee: $[application fee] (see your state's rule above). Screening company used: [screening company name and contact]

I authorize the landlord to verify this information and obtain a tenant screening or credit report. Signature: ____________ Date: [date signed]

Rental Application for other states · California tenant rights

General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.