A Wisconsin rental application tells you who will live in your rental, where they have lived and how they will pay the rent. When every applicant answers the same questions, you can compare renters fairly and show that you did.
This guide covers what to ask, how to pre-screen leads, the federal and Wisconsin laws that apply, application fees, assistance animals, and how to approve or deny an applicant.
What should a Wisconsin rental application ask?
An application collects personal and financial details, so ask only what you need to apply your written rental criteria. Your Wisconsin rental application should ask for:
- Applicant and co-signer names, email, phone and date of birth,
- A Social Security number, entered securely,
- The desired move-in date and everyone who will live in the home,
- The current address and current landlord’s contact details,
- Employer, job title and monthly income,
- Any housing voucher or rental assistance,
- Pets, assistance animals, vehicles and smoking, and
- Past evictions and consent to screening.
The Rentari application covers all of this in six short sections. Renters can upload a pay stub, photo ID, bank statement or reference letter, and you choose which background questions to ask, with up to four of your own.
See it first: open the whole application before you send it.
Pre-screen your leads
Not every lead fits your rental. A short pre-screener shows who meets your basic criteria before anyone spends time or money on a full application.
Send the Rentari pre-screener from Leads. Your Wisconsin pre-screener asks every lead for:
- Monthly household income,
- Desired move-in date,
- How many people would live there,
- Pets, and what kind,
- Smoking, and
- A self-reported credit band.
When a lead’s answers fit, invite them to apply. Remember: pre-screener answers are what the renter tells you, so verify them with the application and screening.
Federal application laws
Federal law sets the baseline for every screening decision in Wisconsin. These five laws shape how you screen applicants:
Fair Housing Act (FHA): You may not treat applicants differently because of these seven protected characteristics:
- Race,
- Color,
- National origin,
- Religion,
- Sex,
- Familial status, or
- Disability
It also bars ads that show a preference and different rental terms for different applicants (42 U.S.C. § 3604).
Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA): Bars credit discrimination, including because income comes from public assistance. Courts differ on whether a lease counts as credit, so count assistance income the same way as wages (15 U.S.C. § 1691).
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Covers places open to the public, such as a leasing office. Disability rules for the rental home itself come from the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. § 12182).
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA): Covers credit, criminal and eviction reports. You need the renter’s consent before screening. Rentari collects it before our screening partner, RentButter, runs the checks (15 U.S.C. § 1681b).
Civil Rights Act of 1866: Bars race discrimination when renting any property, including homes the Fair Housing Act exempts, such as some small owner-occupied buildings (42 U.S.C. § 1982).
Criminal history: HUD warns that blanket bans on applicants with any criminal record can be discriminatory, and an arrest alone does not show that a person did anything.
Further reading: HUD fair housing rights and obligations and FTC guidance for landlords.
Wisconsin application laws
Beyond federal law, Wisconsin has its own rules on application fees and fair housing. Check both before you send an invite.
Wisconsin Law
Wisconsin application and screening fees
The rule: A landlord may charge a prospective tenant the actual cost of a consumer credit report from a nationwide credit reporting agency, up to $25. Tell the applicant about the charge before you request the report, and give the applicant a copy of it (Wis. Stat. § 704.085(1)(a); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 134.05(4)(a)).
You may not charge for a credit report if, before you request one, the applicant gives you a report from a nationwide agency that is less than 30 days old (Wis. Stat. § 704.085(1)(b); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 134.05(4)(b)).
A background check fee, also the actual cost up to $25 with the same notice and copy, is allowed only for an applicant who is not a Wisconsin resident (Wis. Stat. § 704.085(2)).
Any other payment for having an application considered is an earnest money deposit. It must be returned in full by the end of the next business day after you reject the application, the applicant withdraws before you accept, or you fail to approve it within 3 business days (or a later date the applicant agrees to in writing, no more than 21 days after you took the deposit) (Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 134.02(3); Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 134.05(2)(a)).
If the approved applicant then declines to sign, you may keep only your actual costs and damages, and lost rent only after reasonable efforts to rerent, unless you significantly changed the terms you had disclosed (Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 134.05(3)).
Local governments may not limit a landlord's use of an applicant's income, occupation, rental history, credit information, public court records or proof of identity, or how far back you may look (Wis. Stat. § 66.0104(2)(a)).
Local rules: Cities and counties can add their own limits. Check local rules before you set a fee.
In Rentari: You choose an optional application fee when you send the invite. It is paid to you on top of any screening fee.
Wisconsin Law
Fair housing in Wisconsin
Protected classes: Wisconsin's open housing law bars housing discrimination because of sex, race, color, sexual orientation, disability, religion, national origin, marital status, family status, status as a victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking, lawful source of income, age, or ancestry (Wis. Stat. § 106.50(1); Wis. Stat. § 106.50(1m)(h)).
Refusing to rent: Prohibited acts include refusing to rent or negotiate, setting different terms, discriminatory advertising, refusing to renew, evicting or harassing a tenant, and falsely saying a unit is unavailable (Wis. Stat. § 106.50(2)).
Familial status: Family status includes pregnancy and a household with minor or adult relatives or children in the person's custody or care (Wis. Stat. § 106.50(1m)(k)).
Exemptions: The law extends to owner-occupied single-family homes, subject to exemptions (Wis. Stat. § 106.50(1)).
Pets, ESAs and service animals
Ask about animals on every application, but treat an assistance animal differently from a pet. Here is what to keep in mind:
Pet information: The Rentari application asks whether an animal will live at the property and lets the renter mark an assistance animal.
Not a pet: A service animal or emotional support animal is not a pet. Under federal fair housing law you generally can’t:
- Charge a pet fee, pet deposit or pet rent for one, or
- Apply your pet breed, size or weight limits to it.
Damage: The renter stays responsible for any damage the animal causes.
In Rentari: An assistance animal is routed as a fair housing request and is never charged a pet fee.
Wisconsin rules on assistance animals
Assistance animals: An individually trained work or task animal is protected when the person has a disability and a related need for the animal. The state provision bars housing denial, eviction, harassment or extra compensation because of that qualifying animal. Follow the documentation limits: when the disability is readily apparent or known, request proof of the animal-related need only if that need is not apparent or known (Wis. Stat. 106.50(2r)(bg)1., 2.).
Assistance animals: Wisconsin separately protects an emotional support animal for a person with a disability-related need, even though the animal has no task training. The state provision permits reliable disability and need documentation from a licensed health professional, defined here as a professional licensed or certified in Wisconsin and acting within that credential's scope. The qualifying animal cannot be the reason for extra compensation, eviction, harassment or housing denial (Wis. Stat. 106.50(1m)(im), (mx), (2r)(br)1., 2.).
Assistance animals: The state animal provisions list grounds for refusal, including no qualifying disability or need, failure to provide properly requested documentation, undue financial and administrative burden, or a fundamental change to the services. A threat or substantial physical damage must concern the specific animal and must be unable to be reduced or eliminated through another reasonable accommodation. The resident remains responsible for the animal's sanitation and damage (Wis. Stat. 106.50(2r)(bg)3., 4., (br)3., 4.).
Approvals and denials
Apply the same written criteria to every applicant, and handle each decision the same way.
Approval: Choose Accept complete household in the household decision. Your lease draft is ready to review. Before move-in, check Wisconsin’s deposit rules:
Wis. Stat. § 704.28(4) · Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 134.06(2)
Lawful reasons to deny: Deny only for reasons in your written criteria that you apply to every applicant, such as income below your standard, credit history, rental history including unpaid rent or eviction judgments, or incomplete or false information. Use criminal history only where Wisconsin and local law allow it, and weigh the offense and how long ago it happened.
Adverse action notice: If a screening report contributes to a denial, or to terms such as a co-signer, a higher deposit or higher rent, federal law requires a notice that:
- Names the reporting company and how to reach it,
- Says that company did not make the decision,
- Explains the renter’s right to a free copy of the report within 60 days, and
- Explains the right to dispute the report.
In Rentari: Choose Deny selected applicants and send individual notices in the household decision to send each notice. You make the decision.
Record keeping: Federal law sets no retention period for a private landlord’s applications. A fair housing lawsuit can be filed up to two years after a decision, so keep each application, your written criteria and the decision at least that long (42 U.S.C. § 3613(a)(1)(A)).
Screening reports: When you no longer need a screening report, destroy it securely. The FTC Disposal Rule covers consumer reports (16 C.F.R. Part 682).
Wisconsin rental application questions
What can I charge a rental applicant in Wisconsin?
Only the actual cost of a credit report from a nationwide agency, up to $25, after telling the applicant about the charge, and you must give the applicant a copy. You cannot charge if the applicant gives you a nationwide report less than 30 days old. A background check fee, up to $25, is allowed only for a nonresident applicant (Wis. Stat. § 704.085).
Who pays for screening on Rentari?
In most states the renter pays the screening fee at the end of the application and nothing is charged to you. Where a state requires the landlord to pay, the invite tells you. The fee is shown before payment.
Can I ask about criminal history?
You choose whether the application asks about criminal convictions; it is off by default. Check Wisconsin and local rules first, and avoid blanket bans.