Screen with permission. Use the report
for housing only.
Document an applicant's authorization for a credit or tenant-screening report, identify the rental and requester, and keep the permitted housing purpose clear before any report is ordered.
- Housing purpose stated
- Applicant permission recorded
- Sensitive details stay on the form
How it works
From the rental address to written applicant permission — before the screening pull
- 01
Identify the requester and rental
Add the landlord or authorized manager and the property so the permission is tied to a specific housing transaction.
- 02
Give the form to the applicant
The applicant reviews the disclosure, fills in the identifying details needed by the screening provider and signs the authorization.
- 03
Certify the purpose and order the report
Keep the signed form, certify the housing purpose to the reporting company and use the report only for the stated screening decision.
Last updated August 20, 2026
Written by LawLease EditorialReviewed by LawLease Legal Team
By screening stage
Which screening document you need
The application gathers the applicant's facts. This authorization records permission for a consumer report. Approval and adverse-action letters document what happens after the screening decision.
- RA
Rental application
Collect residence, employment, income, household and reference details consistently.
Learn more - AA
Application approval letter
Confirm approval and the steps needed to reserve the rental without replacing the lease.
Learn more - AA
Adverse action letter
Give the required report-source and dispute information when a consumer report affects the decision.
Learn more - CS
Co-signer or guarantor agreement
Put a guarantor's promise to cover the tenant's obligations in a signed agreement.
Learn more - RL
Residential lease agreement
Turn an approved application into the binding terms of the tenancy.
Learn more
What is a background and credit check authorization?
A background and credit check authorization is the applicant's written permission for a landlord, property manager or screening provider to obtain consumer reports for a rental-housing decision. Those reports may include credit, rental and eviction history and, where its collection and use are lawful, criminal-record information.
Federal law allows a consumer reporting agency to furnish a report for a permissible purpose, including a legitimate housing transaction initiated by the applicant, and also permits furnishing a report under the consumer's written instructions. Many screening providers require written authorization, and state or local law may add consent or notice rules. It is also called:
- Tenant screening consent
- Credit check authorization
- Background check consent
- Consumer report authorization
- Resident screening authorization
First collect the applicant's housing information with a rental application then obtain this authorization before ordering any report your provider or applicable law requires consent for.
FCRA duties when landlords use consumer reports
Tenant-screening reports are consumer reports under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Before obtaining one, a landlord needs a permissible purpose and must certify to the reporting company that the report will be used only for housing. Written applicant permission creates a clear record of that purpose and may also satisfy a provider's process or additional state-law requirements.
Authorization is not the end of the process. If information in the report contributes to a denial or less favorable terms — including a co-signer requirement, higher deposit or higher rent — the landlord must give an adverse-action notice with the reporting company's contact information and the applicant's rights to a free report and to dispute inaccurate information.
Housing only
the report must be obtained and used for the certified permissible purpose
60 days
for the applicant to request a free report after report-based adverse action
Written record
of who authorized the report, for which rental and for what purpose
- Certify the permissible purpose
- Tell the consumer reporting company that the report is for a rental application or tenancy review and do not reuse it for an unrelated purpose. Follow the provider's required certification and identity-verification process.
- Keep the authorization clear
- Identify the landlord or manager, property and types of housing-related reports contemplated. Avoid releases or unrelated contract terms that make the applicant's permission hard to understand.
- Do not over-collect identifiers
- Ask only for the details the reporting provider actually needs. Use secure delivery and storage, restrict access and dispose of sensitive data under applicable federal, state and provider requirements.
- Screening rules extend beyond the FCRA
- Fair-housing law and state or local rules may restrict criminal-history screening, protect sources of income, require notices or regulate reusable screening reports. Authorization does not make an otherwise unlawful criterion lawful.
- Adverse action is broader than denial
- A report-based co-signer requirement, larger deposit or higher rent can also be adverse action. Give the notice whenever the report contributes to less favorable treatment, even if the applicant may still rent the property.
How to use a background and credit check authorization
Five steps keep the consent tied to one legitimate housing purpose and the completed form protected.
Tie the authorization to the landlord or manager and the housing transaction.
- Landlord or authorized manager's legal name
- Complete rental property address
- Tenant-screening purpose stated clearly
Free sample background and credit check authorization
Here is the structure before you start. Your answers identify the rental and requester; the applicant completes the sensitive identifiers, reviews the authorization and signs the finished form.
Background & Credit Check Authorization
1. DISCLOSURE. In connection with the application to rent the premises at , may obtain one or more consumer reports about the applicant from a consumer reporting agency for tenant-screening purposes.
A consumer report may include credit history, rental and eviction history and — where the law permits its use — criminal-record information.
2. AUTHORIZATION. The undersigned applicant authorizes the landlord and its screening provider to obtain such reports now and, if a tenancy results, during the tenancy as the law allows, and authorizes listed landlords, employers and references to release relevant information.
3. APPLICANT RIGHTS. If the application is adversely affected in whole or in part because of information in a consumer report, the applicant will receive the reporting agency's contact details and information about the right to obtain and dispute the report.
4. APPLICANT DETAILS. Full legal name: Date of birth: Current address:
Preparing to screen an applicant?
Real humans read every message — whether it's about what a provider requires, when consent should be signed or what counts as report-based adverse action. For a disputed screening decision or a local restriction, get a local lawyer on it.