Minnesota Rental Application Form

What the Minnesota rental application is

This is a one-page fillable PDF titled "Minnesota Rental Application." It covers the applicant and a co-tenant, present and previous addresses with landlord contacts, occupants, pets, a car, three occupation columns, credit references, three screening questions, a personal reference, and a nearest relative. The printed note at the top says that co-tenants other than spouses should each use a separate sheet. It is a general template, not a form issued by the State of Minnesota.

Who uses it

Minnesota landlords and property managers use it to screen applicants, and renters use it when a landlord asks for a completed application. Because Minnesota regulates screening fees closely, landlords who charge a fee also need to give the disclosures described below.

What to have ready

• Your present and previous addresses, how long you lived at each, and landlord or agent phone numbers
• Employer details for your present job and, if you have been employed or self-employed less than two years, your prior job
• Your co-tenant's occupation details, if you are applying with a spouse
• Two credit references with account numbers, addresses, and highest amount owed
• Car make, year, model, color, and license number

How to fill it out online

Click "Fill Template Now," type into the fields, sign, and download the PDF. Several boxes on this form have generic internal names, so click each blank next to a printed label to fill it.

Applicant and household

• Name (legal), Date of Birth, Social Security No.: for you, and the same three items for the Name of Co-Tenant.
• Present Address: with City / State / Zip, Home Phone, Cell Phone, and Business Phone.
• How Long at Present Address, Landlord or Agent, Landlord Phone: your current landlord's details.
• Previous Address: how long, landlord or agent, and landlord phone.
• Your email address, Occupants: Relationships & Their Ages, and Pets.
• Car: Make, Year, Model, Color, and Car License No.

Occupation

Three columns: Present Occupation, Prior Occupation, and Co-Tenant's Occupation. Each asks for Occupation, Employer, Self-Employed d.b.a., Business Address, Business Phone, Type of Business, Position Held, Name & Title of Supervisor, How Long, and Monthly Gross Income.

References and declaration

• Credit references: two rows for Credit Reference, Account Number, Address, Highest Amount Owed, Purpose of Credit, and Account Open Or Date Closed.
• Three questions: whether you have ever filed a petition of bankruptcy, been evicted from any tenancy, or willfully and intentionally refused to pay rent when due.
• Personal Reference and Nearest Relative: address, phone, length of acquaintance, occupation, city, and relationship.
• Dated, Applicant Printed Name, and signature.

Signing and submitting

The declaration authorizes verification, a credit report, a criminal background check, landlord references, and employment verification, and lets the landlord end any agreement made in reliance on a misstatement. Sign (see how to sign a PDF online), enter the date, download, and send the file to the landlord as instructed.

Minnesota rules on screening fees and deposits

General information as of October 2026, not legal advice. Read the linked statutes for the full text.

• Screening fees: under Minn. Stat. 504B.173, a landlord may not charge a screening fee when it knows or should know no unit is available, must give a written receipt on request, and may not cash the fee until earlier applicants have been screened and rejected or declined the unit. Before taking a fee, the landlord must disclose the screening service it uses and its rental criteria.
• Refunds and notice: the fee must be returned if the applicant is rejected for a reason not in the disclosed criteria or if an earlier applicant takes the unit, and unused portions must be returned if checks are not done. A rejected applicant must be told within 14 days which criteria were not met.
• Eviction records: since 2024, landlords may not deny an application based on a pending eviction case, an expunged or non-public court file, or an eviction that did not end in a writ of recovery.
• Public assistance: Minn. Stat. 363A.09 bars refusing to rent because of status with regard to public assistance, subject to the statute's exemptions.
• Security deposits: Minn. Stat. 504B.178 does not cap the deposit amount. The landlord must return it with 1 percent simple annual interest, or give a written reason for withholding, within three weeks after the tenancy ends and the landlord receives the tenant's mailing address.

Common mistakes

• Putting a non-spouse co-tenant on the same sheet. The form asks for separate applications.
• Skipping Prior Occupation when you have been at your job less than two years.
• Leaving the three yes or no questions blank.
• Paying a fee without getting the landlord's written criteria first.