Alabama Rental Application Form

What the Alabama rental application is

This is a two-page rental application that an Alabama landlord gives to a prospective tenant before a lease is signed. It collects identity details, three addresses, three employers, bank and credit accounts, vehicles, references and general screening questions, and ends with an authorization for a credit and criminal check. It is a general template, not a form issued by the State of Alabama, which does not publish an official rental application.

The top of page 1 sets two ground rules: each adult (18 or older) must fill out a separate application, and there is a non-refundable fee per adult, with a blank for the landlord to enter the amount.

Who uses it

Alabama landlords and property managers use it to screen applicants. A spouse or adult roommate fills out their own copy; children are listed in the occupant rows of the main applicant's form.

What to have ready

• Your Social Security number, driver's license number and any other names you have used
• Names, birth dates and relationships of everyone who will live with you
• Addresses, dates, last rent paid and landlord contact details for your current, previous and prior homes
• Employer names, addresses, phone numbers, supervisors, monthly gross pay and dates for up to three jobs
• Bank or lender names and balances for savings, checking, a credit card and an auto loan
• Vehicle details and contacts for a doctor, a lawyer and your nearest relative living elsewhere

Our guide to documents needed for a rental application covers pay stubs and other proof landlords often ask for alongside the form.

How to fill out the Alabama rental application online

Click "Fill Template Now" to open the PDF in the editor, click into any field and type. When you reach the end of page 2, add your signature in the signature box, enter the date, and download the completed PDF to send or print.

Fee line and applicant details

The landlord fills in the amount on the line "There is a non-refundable fee of $ /adult". The applicant then completes First, Middle, Last, Birth Date, Social Security #, Driver's License #, Any Other Names You've Used In The Past, Home Phone and Cell Phone. Below that, the All Other Proposed Occupants table has five rows, each with Birth Date and Relationship To Applicant.

Rental/Residence History

Three columns cover your Current Residence, Previous Residence and Prior Residence. For each one, enter the Street Address, City, State & Zip, Last Rent Amount Paid, Owner/Manager and Phone Number, Reason for leaving, and answers to "Is/Was rent paid in full?", "Did you give notice?" and "Were you asked to move?". Add the From/To Dates of Residency for each address and the Name(s) in which your utilities are now billed.

Employment History

The same three-column layout covers Current, Previous and Prior Employment: Employed By, Address, Employer's Phone, Occupation, Name of Supervisor, Monthly Gross Pay (before deductions) and From/To Dates of Employment.

Credit History and Vehicles

For Savings Account, Checking Account, Credit Card and Auto Loan, enter the Bank/Institution Name and the Balance On Deposit or Balance Owed. The Vehicles table has two rows for Make, Model, Color, Year and License Plate, and the form asks you to include vehicles belonging to other proposed occupants.

References & Emergency Contacts

Page 2 asks for the Name, Street Address, City, State & Zip and Phone Number of your Doctor, Lawyer and Nearest Relative Living Elsewhere. Read the paragraph under this table: it lets the landlord contact these people if you cannot be located, and lets the listed relative remove your belongings if you abandon the apartment.

General Information

Each question has its own answer line: late rent and eviction notices, bankruptcy, felony convictions, lawsuits, smokers, pets (type, breed, approximate weight and age), move-in date, why you are moving, and anything negative a credit or criminal check would show. Listing other verifiable income is optional.

Signing and submitting

The Agreement & Authorization block at the end certifies that your answers are true and authorizes a credit and/or criminal check and contact with everyone listed. It also states that the application is not a lease and that the processing fee is not refundable even if you do not get the apartment. Sign, date and return it to the landlord. You can also sign a PDF online if the landlord sends you their own version. Nothing is filed with the state.

Alabama rules on fees, deposits and screening

The following is general information as of October 2026, not legal advice.

• Application fees: Alabama's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Title 35, Chapter 9A of the Code of Alabama) does not set a cap on rental application or screening fees. The fee is whatever the landlord writes on the form.
• Security deposit limit: Under Ala. Code § 35-9A-201, a landlord may not demand or receive a security deposit of more than one month's periodic rent, except for pets, changes to the premises, or increased liability risks.
• Deposit return: The same section gives the landlord 60 days after the tenancy ends and possession is delivered to return the deposit or send an itemized list of amounts withheld. A landlord who misses the 60-day window must pay the tenant double the original deposit. Tenants should give the landlord a forwarding address in writing.
• Screening reports: The form authorizes a credit and criminal check. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, a landlord who turns you down based on a credit or background report must give you a notice naming the reporting company and explaining your right to get a copy and dispute errors. The FTC explains this in Using Consumer Reports: What Landlords Need to Know.

Common mistakes

• Leaving the Previous or Prior Residence columns blank when you have moved in the last few years
• Entering take-home pay in Monthly Gross Pay
• Answering "yes" to an eviction, bankruptcy or late rent question without the date or a short explanation