Illinois Residential Rental Application and Screening Packet

Illinois Residential Rental Application and Screening Packet

Use one packet per adult applicant. Give the criteria and reusable-report notice before collecting a screening fee.

Privacy rule: Do not place sensitive identifiers or financial-account numbers in this packet. Collect identity credentials only through a separately approved secure channel with access controls and a retention schedule.

Illinois Reusable Tenant-Screening Report Module

• ☐ Applicant will provide no reusable report.
• ☐ Applicant provided a reusable report prepared within the previous 30 days at the applicant's request and expense.
• Report provider/direct-access method: [________________________________]
• Report is available to the landlord at no access or use cost: ☐ Yes
• Report contains every criterion consistently used for screening: ☐ Yes
• Applicant states no material change has occurred: ☐ Yes

If the report satisfies 765 ILCS 705/25, do not charge a fee to access it or an application-screening fee. The landlord may process a separate application but may not charge an additional screening fee. A local rule providing greater applicant protection controls.

Future-law watch: The General Assembly's P.A. 104-0479 page lists an effective date of January 1, 2027. For covered leases after that date, the new 765 ILCS 705/35 generally caps rental-application/background-check fees at $50, subject to its actual-cost third-party exception and other limits. Update this module before that date.

1. Property and Housing Provider

• Property address/unit: [________________________________]
• Monthly rent/proposed move-in/term: [________________________________]
• Housing provider/agent and notice address: [________________________________]
• Completed application received: [__/__/____] at [____] ☐ a.m. ☐ p.m.

2. Written Screening Criteria

Apply criteria consistently. Do not discriminate because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, or national origin. 42 U.S.C. § 3604. Check additional Illinois and local protected classes.

3. Applicant Information

• Full legal name/name used for references: [________________________________]
• Email/telephone: [________________________________]
• Current address and time there: [________________________________]
• Requested move-in date: [__/__/____]
• Other proposed occupants/relationship: [________________________________]
• Animals: [________________________________]
• Confidential assistance-animal process requested: ☐ Yes ☐ No

4. Residence and Income History

5. Applicant Statements and Consumer-Report Authorization

• ☐ Information is complete and accurate to the best of the applicant's knowledge.
• ☐ Applicant received criteria and reusable-report notice before payment.
• ☐ Applicant received the privacy/retention notice.
• ☐ Applicant understands this is not a lease or promise of approval.

I give written instructions authorizing [HOUSING PROVIDER/AGENT] and [CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCY] to obtain and use the checked reports solely for this rental application and lawful account review. 15 U.S.C. § 1681b(a)(2).

• Agency/address/telephone: [________________________________]
• Reports: ☐ Credit ☐ Rental history ☐ Eviction records ☐ Criminal records ☐ Other: [________]
• Authorization expires: [__/__/____]

Applicant signature: [________________________________] Date: [__/__/____]

6. Fee Receipt and Decision Record

• Amount/character: $[________] ☐ No fee ☐ Screening fee ☐ Refundable deposit
• Reusable report barred a fee: ☐ Yes ☐ No
• Payment reference, no full account number: [________________________________]
• Criteria applied exactly as disclosed: ☐ Yes
• Decision: ☐ Approved ☐ Conditional approval ☐ Denied ☐ Withdrawn
• Criterion and verified fact: [________________________________]
• Consumer report affected decision: ☐ Yes ☐ No
• Decision maker/date: [________________________________]

7. Adverse-Action Notice

Applicant/property/date: [________________________________]

Action and specific reason: [________________________________]

If a consumer report affected the action, identify the agency, address, telephone, score and required score factors if used. The agency did not make the decision. The applicant may request a free report within 60 days and dispute inaccurate or incomplete information. 15 U.S.C. § 1681m(a).

Housing provider/agent signature: [________________________________]

Sources and References

• 15 U.S.C. § 1681b — https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:15%20section:1681b%20edition:prelim)
• 15 U.S.C. § 1681m — https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:15%20section:1681m%20edition:prelim)
• 42 U.S.C. § 3604 — https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(title:42%20section:3604%20edition:prelim)
• 765 ILCS 705/25 — https://www.ilga.gov/Legislation/publicacts/view/103-0840
• P.A. 104-0479 — https://www.ilga.gov/Legislation/PublicActs/View/104-0479