Free Rental Application Form
Before offering up a lease agreement, Chicago landlords typically gather two things from a rental applicant: a written application with their identifying information, employment, rental history, and references — and then a tenant screening report that confirms credit, eviction history, and (after a provisional approval) criminal background. The order matters. Cook County's Just Housing Amendment to the Human Rights Ordinance prohibits landlords from denying housing solely based on juvenile or arrest records, and it requires landlords to pre-qualify tenants on application criteria before asking about or reviewing criminal history.
The Domu rental application form below is built for that order. Use it to launch your due diligence process: collect the applicant's identifying details, rental history, employment, references, and household composition first. The form also includes the required disclosure language about the Just Housing Amendment and is structured to align with the two-step screening process Cook County law requires. Once an applicant has filled out the form, you can move to the credit, eviction, and criminal background portion of screening.
The Order of Operations: Application → Screening → Decision
Step 1 — Collect the application. Use the Domu pre-qualification form below. The applicant fills in personal information, current and previous addresses, employment, references, vehicle and pet information, and additional occupants. They sign authorization for credit and eviction history searches.
Step 2 — Run a tenant screening. Once you have the application in hand, run a TransUnion credit report, eviction history, and (after your provisional approval) a criminal background check. Domu's tenant screening service handles this directly inside your landlord dashboard — credit, eviction, and criminal checks are surfaced in the JHO-compliant order automatically. Applicants pay $50; landlords pay nothing, and you don't need to list your unit on Domu.com to use it.
Step 3 — Make your decision. Compare the application and screening report against the Tenant Selection Criteria you disclosed before accepting an application fee (a JHO requirement). If you decline an applicant based in whole or in part on information from a consumer report (such as a credit, eviction, or background check), the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires you to provide an adverse action notice. This notice must include the reporting agency’s contact information, state that the agency did not make the decision, and inform the applicant of their right to request a free copy of their report and dispute inaccuracies.
For a deeper walkthrough of the JHO's two-step screening process and what's required at each stage, see our Cook County Just Housing Ordinance guide. For more on what to look for once you have a credit report in hand, our guide to how landlords should use credit scores walks through FICO ranges and when rental history matters more than the score itself. Additional information on the Just Housing Amendment is available on Cook County's website.
The general information that Domu provides about Chicago landlord-tenant law is not intended as legal advice. Domu endeavors to provide accurate information, but the law is subject to change, and Domu is not a law firm or provider of legal services. Questions about your particular leasing situation should be directed to a lawyer.