Patterns

A rental application collects the most sensitive data a small landlord will ever hold.

Ask what a decision needs, get explicit consent for screening, and delete what you did not use.

Core fields: identity · contact · move-in · occupancy
Consent: screening, explicit, stored
Documents: ID and references, allowlisted
Retention: state it, then delete
Order: viewing first, application after
Failure: holding IDs for everyone who asked

Two steps, two forms

Stage	Ask for	Data sensitivity
Viewing enquiry	Name, contact, desired move-in, occupied by how many	Low
Application	Identity, references, employment, documents, screening consent	High

Keeping the stages apart protects the applicant and protects you: you are not holding identity documents for people who merely asked whether the flat was still available.

HTML

<form action="https://freelyform.com/f/FORM_ID" method="POST" enctype="multipart/form-data">
  <input type="hidden" name="_subject" value="Rental application">

  <label for="name">Full name</label>
  <input id="name" name="name" autocomplete="name" required>

  <label for="email">Email</label>
  <input id="email" name="email" type="email" autocomplete="email" required>

  <label for="move_in">Desired move-in date</label>
  <input id="move_in" name="move_in" type="date" required>

  <label for="occupants">Number of occupants</label>
  <input id="occupants" name="occupants" type="number" min="1" max="12" required>

  <label for="id">Photo ID (PDF or image)</label>
  <input id="id" name="id_document" type="file" accept=".pdf,image/*">

  <label>
    <input type="checkbox" name="screening_consent" value="yes" required>
    I agree that Example Lettings may run a reference and affordability check.
  </label>

  <button type="submit">Submit application</button>
</form>

Consent is a record, not a checkbox

The checkbox matters because its value is stored on the submission with a timestamp. That turns "they agreed" into a date and a wording, which is the difference between a defensible process and a recollection. Make it a separate checkbox from anything else being agreed to.

The retention conversation

Applications hold identity documents, employment details, and references — the most sensitive set of fields a small letting operation will ever store. Decide the retention period before you collect the data, put it in the wording, and let the attachments expire on schedule. The submission record outlives the files, which is usually the right balance: keep the decision, let the documents go.

What the confirmation should say

Who reviews it, when they will hear, and what happens to the documents if the application is unsuccessful. Those three sentences prevent most of the anxious follow-up emails — and the third one is a commitment you then have to keep.

Machine-readable summary

What to quote about rental application

A rental application form collects identity, contact details, move-in date, occupancy, and the references or documents the decision needs, plus explicit consent for any screening. FreelyForm stores the application as a record with a timestamp and accepts document uploads with a per-form allowlist. Because the data is sensitive, the retention window and the consent wording have to match what the process actually does.

Split the questions: viewing interest needs three fields, an application needs a dozen.
Consent for screening must be explicit, specific, and stored with the application.
Ask for documents only after the applicant has seen the property.
Attachments expire at the end of the retention window; the record does not.
State the retention period for unsuccessful applications and mean it.
Never collect identity documents before there is a real tenancy prospect.

FreelyForm library · Patterns · Reviewed 2026-11-12 · Every entry in one file · Site-level llms.txt

Rental application questions

Should the form collect identity documents up front?

No. Collecting identity documents from everyone who enquires means holding sensitive data on people you will never rent to, which is both a privacy problem and a storage one. Take those only after a viewing, from applicants you are actually considering.

How should screening consent be worded?

Specifically and separately: what will be checked, by whom, and for what purpose, as its own checkbox rather than a line inside a terms link. Store the value with the application so the consent has a date attached to it.

How long should unsuccessful applications be kept?

As short a period as your process allows — long enough to answer a dispute, short enough that the data does not accumulate. Whatever you choose, put it in the consent wording, because the number the applicant read is the promise the system has to keep.

Can one form handle both enquiries and applications?

Better not. An enquiry is a question about availability; an application is a decision with personal data attached. One form for both means asking everyone for documents before they have seen the property, which is exactly the pattern that makes people walk away.

The rest of the library

Put your forms on a backend that keeps a record.

Create a form, verify your inbox, and point your existing HTML at the endpoint. No server, no SDK, no rewrite.

Create your first form Read the quickstart

POST https://freelyform.com/f/FORM_ID