Whether your listing is up north in Rockford or down south in Alton, your Illinois rental application is your first step towards filling a vacancy in the Prairie State. Make the process of sending, receiving, and managing applications easy and convenient with iPropertyManagement’s free rental application template.
Let’s walk through the must-know elements of an Illinois rental application, including a guide to tenant screening, a breakdown of rental application laws, and a how-to on denials.
Information to Collect
An Illinois rental application gathers essential renter information, including:
- Personal details (Names of applicants/co-applicants/co-signers, Social Security number, date of birth, email, phone number, emergency contact)
- Employment, rental, and income history
- References
- Current, previous, and past residences
- Pets
- Vehicle information
- Smoking status
An online rental application collects sensitive details, so laws regulate the information landlords can collect, the questions they can ask, and how they use applications to make decisions.
Don’t worry! We’ll review all of these laws as we cover iPropertyManagement’s helpful tenant screening guide.
Quick Guide to Screening a Tenant
Every rental situation is unique, but these steps lay out a process for intelligent, responsible, and legally compliant tenant screening.
1. Pre-Screen
Are you using pre-screeners yet? This online form helps you pull renter information. Once a renter finds your listing, a pre-screener asks for:
- Contact details
- Employment, income, and credit score
- Household details (number of occupants, pets, service animals, and smoking)
- Move-in timeline
Pre-screeners help you sort through leads and determine if a renter is a good fit before they apply, but they can’t substitute for your official rental application.
2. Conduct Showings
Generate interest in your home or apartment by showing the rental. Host an open house and schedule individual tours to meet with potential tenants and get renters excited to apply.
3. Distribute and Collect Applications
After sharing your Illinois rental application, collect the completed forms and fees. Don’t forget to check that applicants have signed the consent and acknowledgement section!
Illinois Application Laws
The Illinois Human Rights Act outlines the state’s rental application laws and landlord-tenant rights.
The following traits are legally protected in Illinois:
- Race
- Color
- Religion
- National origin
- Ancestry
- Age
- Order of protection status
- Marital status
- Physical or mental disability
- Military status/unfavorable discharge from military service
- Sexual orientation
- Pregnancy
- Reproductive health decisions
- Source of income
Landlords can’t discriminate against or deny renters based on the above characteristics (775 ILCS 5/1-102).
Criminal history: You can reference criminal history, but you must comply with the terms outlined in the Illinois Human Rights Act. Some cities and counties, including Chicago and Cook, have their own local procedures regarding criminal history.
Eviction history: Landlords can consider an applicant’s eviction records when making a decision.
Portable tenant screening reports: In Illinois, landlords must accept portable tenant screening reports generated within 30 days if applicants provide them at no cost to the landlord and they are delivered directly through a consumer reporting agency (Public Act 103-0840).
Pets, ESAs, and Service Animals
The number of U.S. renters with pets is steadily climbing, growing from 46% in 2019 to 58% in 2025. Don’t leave animals out of your Illinois rental application.
Don’t plan to accept pets? You can’t discriminate against applicants with Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) or service animals. However, you can hold tenants liable for damage caused by their animals.
Pet information: Use your rental application form to ask about pets and certified service animals.
Fair Housing Act: Under this law, you can’t:
- Discriminate against an applicant based on their animal’s service status
- Deny an applicant based on their ESA/service animal’s breed, weight, or size
- Charge a pet fee, pet rent, or pet deposit for ESAs/service animals
Federal Application Laws
These are four laws every landlord in the U.S. has to follow:
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA): Landlords must obtain an applicant’s written consent before pulling a credit report, and send adverse action notices to applicants they deny due to credit history (Fair Credit Reporting Act).
Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA): The ECOA protects individuals who have received public assistance, regulates how landlords assess credit reports, and outlines reporting rules for applicants (Equal Credit Opportunity Act).
Fair Housing Act (FHA): Landlords can’t discriminate based on an applicant’s race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability. This law bans unequal terms of renting and discriminatory advertising, and applies to all landlords, property managers, and employees who select renters (Fair Housing Act).
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Under this law, landlords can’t deny an applicant solely based on a disability, and they must accommodate a renter’s condition (Americans with Disabilities Act).
4. Use a Third-Party Screening Service
Tenant screening services can help you with credit checks and criminal background checks.
5. Check Application References
Contact the renter’s references to verify application details. Here are sample questions you can ask:
- Did they ever miss rent payments, violate the lease, or damage the property?
- What were they paying for monthly rent?
- Would you rent to this tenant again?
6. Approve or Deny Applications
You’ve gathered all the information, and now it’s time to make a decision. Always accept multiple applications on a first-come, first-served basis, considering:
- Rental History: If you don’t have at least one year of solid rental history to go by, you can require a co-signer.
- Rent-to-Income Ratio: If the rent is more than 30% of the applicant’s gross income, there’s an increased risk of rent default.
- Credit Score: Consider setting a minimum credit score requirement of 600–670.
- Fact Check on Rental Application: False answers can signal fraud and are grounds for immediate rejection.
Denial Process
By law, you must apply your denial process consistently across all applicants. Reasons for denial include providing false information, insufficient income, poor credit history, unfavorable rental history, and a criminal background.
Denial notice: Illinois law doesn’t require tenant rejection letters.
Credit/Background denials: Under the FCRA, you must send adverse action notices to applicants you deny based on credit or tenant background checks, stating:
- The reporting agency’s name and contact details
- The tenant’s right to dispute errors
Document storage: Always hold onto screening reports and denied applications for at least three years. You can use these files to help defend against any claims of discrimination.
