A Renter’s Guide to Portable Rental Applications

When you’re looking to rent an apartment or a house, application fees and background checks are common parts of the process. One way to save yourself time and money is by providing your potential landlord with a portable rental application. It’s easy to create one through Zillow. But what is a portable rental application, and how can it help you get that rental you’ve been wishing for?

What is a portable rental application?

A portable rental application is essentially a standard rental application that includes information such as a background check and credit history, but the application can be reused to apply for multiple rental properties rather than needing to create a new rental application each time.

For example, when you submit a Zillow rental application, you can use the same application to apply for an unlimited number of participating properties on and off Zillow for 30 days without having to pay application fees or get a new credit and background check every time. You'll save time not having to fill out a new application for each rental because your rental application can be reused for participating properties. Being able to port your rental application also means there are fewer documents that contain your personal information like your social security number that can make you more vulnerable to fraud and identity theft.

What's included in a portable rental application on Zillow?

A portable rental application will contain all of the information you’d usually have to provide when applying for a rental. Here’s an overview of what’s typically included, but the exact content of credit and background checks can vary by state and locale:

• Your credit history
  • Credit score
  • Outstanding debts
  • Debt payment history
• Proof of income
  • Pay stubs
  • Bank statements
  • History of bankruptcy
• Criminal history
  • Criminal record check (convictions, parole status)
• Rental history
  • Your previous address (or two or three most recent)
  • Contact information for your previous landlord(s)
  • Past evictions (if any)
• Your contact information
  • Your name
  • Phone number
  • Current address

How do portable rental applications work on Zillow? 

You can create your own Zillow rental application by creating a Zillow account. After you sign up, find a participating rental you’re interested in. Then, click the “apply now” button. You’ll be led to our application builder page, where you can add things like your contact information, whether you have any pets, and your income and residence history.

A one-time fee of $35 will cover your Contemporary Information Corp. background check (a common third-party provider that conducts these checks) and your Experian credit report. This means you won’t have to pay any other application fees when you apply at a participating property for the next 30 days.

The information you enter during this process, including the results from the background check and credit report,  will be used to generate your completed rental application. Once you finish creating your application, it’s officially “portable” and you can reuse the application by sharing it with landlords on or off Zillow.

How do I share my portable rental application? 

To use your Zillow rental application with a property that’s not on Zillow, just head to your Zillow Renter Hub and from the applications dashboard, click "Share application", then enter the address of where you’re applying and the landlord’s email. You can also include a message when you share your application.

Next, you’ll be prompted to review your credit report, credit score, and background check. You’ll be able to do this every time you go to share your application. Then, hit “Share application." And you’re done! It could be helpful to give the landlord of the property you’re applying to a heads up that you’re sending in your application this way, so they can keep an eye out for it.

Is every landlord required to accept my Zillow rental application?

Whether a landlord will accept your Zillow rental application depends on the property, or in some cases, where you live. It can save you some time to ask any potential landlords ahead of time whether they accept Zillow rental applications. If they do, great. If not, we have some suggestions for you.

In some states, landlords must accept renter-provided applications if the application information meets specific criteria. Generally, this concept is referred to as a “portable tenant screening report,” or “reusable tenant screening report.” These reports are credit and background checks that renters can obtain themselves and then share with a potential landlord without having to pay for this information each time they are interested in applying for a property.

The legislation varies by state, with some states requiring landlords to accept portable tenant screening reports with limited exceptions, while others simply give landlords the option to accept them. If your state has rules regarding a portable tenant screening report, be sure to ask the landlord about those rules, and let them know you can share your Zillow rental application.

Even if there is not a state law that requires acceptance of a portable tenant screening report, you can ask why that landlord won’t accept your Zillow rental application. Maybe they’re worried that your self-reported information, such as past rental history,  isn’t accurate. If that’s the case, you could offer some documents to support and verify this information, like references from your past rentals.

If a landlord still refuses to accept your Zillow rental application and insists you use their usual application process (fees included), it's up to you to decide if you want to comply, or move on to other properties.

Typically, if you see an “Apply Now” button or similar wording in a rental listing on Zillow, it means the property accepts Zillow applications, and you can use your existing application without an additional fee — if submitted within 30 days. If a listing with these options still requires you to pay a separate fee or complete an additional application process, please inform us at rentalapplications@zillow.com.

Even if the property does not have that “Apply Now” button or it isn’t on Zillow, remember you can still share your Zillow rental application directly to a landlord from your application dashboard on Zillow.

All in all, having a portable rental application is a great way to save yourself the tedious task of filling out the same information over and over, and keep some money in your pocket. That money could even help you cover some of your moving costs once you choose the right rental for you.