Make a Minnesota Rental Application

The Minnesota Rental Application Process

A rental application will ask general questions like the applicant's full name and current address. It may also get a signature to run a credit check and background check to look for evictions, bankruptcies, and criminal history that could indicate that the property wouldn't be cared for by the potential tenant.

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A Sample Minnesota Rental Application with Examples for Each Step

To write a Minnesota rental application form as a means to screen potential tenants, a landlord or property manager should include the following:

• A section that requests personal information from the applicant. This includes their full legal name as well as their birthday. Obtain this information or each applicant who would become a party to the rental agreement. You can either have each applicant complete an application or create an application form that holds two applicants.
• Collect the contact information for each applicant, including their cell phone number, work phone number, and email.
• If you plan to run a credit check or background check (including criminal history), you need to get the applicant’s social security number. 
• Create a section that requests the applicant's rental history, starting with their current address. The current address should include the city, state, and zip code as well as contact information for their current landlord or property management company. If possible, they should provide contact information for the previous landlords and property management companies listed for each entry.
• Create an employment history section that requests their current employer and moves back through time. It should include their employer’s name, the address, their title, how long they've worked for their employer, their supervisor’s name, and the contact information for their supervisor or the phone number for human resources.
• The next section should collect information about the applicant's income sources. This helps you know whether the applicant will be able to handle the financial responsibility of the rental property.
• The rental application should ask whether the applicant has checking and savings accounts at financial institutions. The applicant likely won't disclose account numbers, but they may reveal which financial institutions they use.
• The rental application should request the number of vehicles owned by the applicant and the make and model of each vehicle. This is particularly important for Minnesota landlords and property managers who have rental properties who issue parking passes or minimal parking. Knowing how many vehicles and the make and model of each vehicle will help you know whether the right vehicles are using the parking area should you choose to rent to the applicant.
• Get the emergency contact information for the applicant.
• The rental application should request the name and age of each person who will reside in the rental unit with the applicant.
• The rental application should ask the applicant whether they have pets and, if they do, how many pets they have, the type of pets, and their size.
• The end of the rental application should include a disclosure that complies with Minnesota law that informs the applicant about whether you plan to run a credit check, a background check, or plan to check their criminal history. You should also mention whether the application fee they paid is refundable.
• Finally, include a signature line that is dated.

Rental Application Resources for Tenants in Minnesota

Renters in Minnesota have rights. Here are some helpful links that you can use to better understand your rights as a tenant.

• The Office of the Minnesota Attorney General's website has a web page devoted to tenant rights. It is easy to navigate. It explains your rights before you enter into a rental lease agreement, during the time you're a tenant, how to end your lease, laws related to the landlord-tenant relationship, and extra resources. They also offer the information on the page as a PDF download.
• Minnesota Legal Aid's website provides help for tenants who were evicted by being locked out or who had their utilities shut off by the landlord.
• Minnesota Legal Aid website offers PDFs for tenant's rights, lead-based paint disclosures, tenant repair list requests, and a notice to end the lease because of a fear of violence. They also offer several other helpful walk-throughs to help you through each step of the rental process.
• HOME Line is a non-profit in Minnesota that provides free and low-cost legal help for tenants facing problems involving rental properties.

Minnesota Laws

The State of Minnesota has no laws that limit what landlords may require for security deposits; however, some cities and counties do have these limits in place. Whatever the deposit amount, landlords must pay tenants interest on their tenant's deposits at a 1% rate. Additionally, when a tenant’s lease is terminated or it ends and they vacate the property, the landlord must return the deposit to him or her in no more than 21 days (Minnesota Statutes Annotated § § 504B.175, 504B.178, and 504B.195).