What type of information should a prospective landlord ask for on a standard rental application?

Yes, those are pretty standard, because a landlord does not want to be left out in the cold while a unit is occupied by someone not paying the rent. Once someone is moved in, it is really hard to get them physically removed if they don’t cooperate.

So credit and employment verification are pretty standard. They also look for a rental history, so they get an indication of how long you’ll live there. It’s easier all around if they get a tenant that will live there for a long time.

Where I live, they are not standard, and would be considered intrusive. Our government routinely warns people against giving out SIN to just anyone (because of the risk of identity theft), so I’ve never given it on an rental application, although occasionally I’ve seen it requested.

What information can legally be requested and what information is typically requested varies from province to province here, and I would guess from state to state in the US. You should have a rental board that you can ask. They probably have an FAQ on their website to answer questions exactly like these.

They are not unusual – particularly for larger places. The idea of knowing your boss’s name and phone number is in case you skip paying your rent.

SSN is for your credit report.

Checking account is to debit you in case you skip town and they need to debit your account. That is the one I would be most worried about.

Of course, the ironic thing is that you can have a new boss and close your checking account and you are under no obligation to tell the landlord.

Yes, those are all standard things. Most landlords also do a credit check. Some ask for copies of recent pay stubs instead of supervisor’s name.

I would never ask for checking account numbers…that seems kind of over the top. Although, once your friend starts paying rent, the account number is right there on the check.

They are all typical. Landlords run a credit report and you need a social security number to get that. Income and credit information tells the landlord about your ability to pay.
Supervisor info in order to verify employment although I always use the number in the phone book and ask for the HR department.
Bank account info is if they default and we have to get a judgement we have the info to get a lein on the account.
Fair housing laws really limit the info we can use to determine if someone would a) be able to pay their bills and b) be a good neighbor. The only things we really have are income vs debts, credit history, rental history and criminal background. Long gone are the days of denying someone because they give you the creeps. We need to use all the information we legally can to make the best choice not only for maximum profit but also for making sure our communities are as safe as possible.

Ditto all of the above answers. Also, the DL# will help in the criminal background check.

I agree they are all standard and also agree they can feel over the top, intrusive, and make a person nervous they have provided every piece of information needed for identity theft. Large apartment complexes need a black and white way to check a potential tenant out. One on one rentals the landlord is not subject to any discriminatory laws (assuming he only owns a few units, I think in FL it is less than 4) and might just go on gut feeling. Also, some communities have much higher deposits, first, last, and security up front and security is just as high as the rent. While other places security is waved, or only a couple hundred dollars, so the landlord has more financial risk.

@JLeslie, federal fair housing laws apply to onsie twosie owners too. There are only a few exceptions. One of them is if you are renting a room in your house. Knowing what I know, even if I only had one rental I would do the same background check.

@Judi I wasn’t specific enough. An individual renting their house on their own is exempt from Fair Housing laws and people who have 4 or fewer units in a building. Realtors and property managers are never exempt from the law if I remember correctly.

I was going to tell you you were wrong so I went and researched it and on a federal level you are right. I found this on the HUD website:
The Fair Housing Act covers most housing. In some circumstances, the Act exempts owner-occupied buildings with no more than four units, single-family housing sold or rented without the use of a broker, and housing operated by organizations and private clubs that limit occupancy to members.

I believe in California the exemption is only for owner occupied buildings with 4 or less units.

@Judi Not that I ever think it is ok to discriminate based on race, age, etc. I hate to think anyone would. But, if someone falls under a protected minority status and an owner decides not to rent to them for whatever reason, it can come back to haunt them under the law if that person wants to claim it is because they are a minority, but not under the exeptions. Now, after reading your quote from Fair Housing, I wonder if it matters if the person owns multiple single family houses, and what about an owner of a condo? Just one condo and he moves and decides to rent it rather than sell. Seems that should be the same as a single family house? Why should the type of dwelling be different, I think it should have to do with whether the landlord rents out multiple properties or not. Don’t you? If he is in the “business” of renting property.

There are similar laws for very small businesses, unless the laws have changed since I was in college (very possible, I have been out for over 20 years) the law back then was businesses that employ fewer than 15 staff members did not have to worry about affirmative action, quotos, and most other things related of that sort.