A landlord may ask you to fill out a rental application. Have a family member who was evicted from federally assisted housing within the past five years for any reason other than the non-payment of rent.Most states allow rejecting tenants for any reason as long as it's not a protected class (sex, religion, race, etc). A landlord refusing to rent to someone because of their race or ethnicity is an example of housing discrimination that is illegal under Fair Housing laws. I have a Contested Motion. Under federal law, a landlord who denies your tenant application because of information in a tenant screening report is required to inform you of that fact.