Here are some important things to remember: although good credit is definitely useful as some landlords require credit checks, bad credit does NOT mean you won’t be able to find a place to rent. There is not a magical minimum credit score that will open or close all doors. Apartment landlords consider many factors when deciding whether to rent to you; it comes down to whether you will be able to pay your rent for the duration of your lease. Your credit score is only one piece of evidence in this evaluation. To maximize your likelihood of signing a lease, consider the following suggestions.
Know your credit history
Go into your rental hunt with your eyes open. The three largest credit bureaus, Experian ,Equifax, and TransUnion, are required to give you a free credit report, upon request, each year. You can also get a 3-in-1 Credit Report from TrueCredit, which shows your scores from the three bureaus and allows you to compare and note any discrepancies. You should have all this information before your potential landlord does, to avoid any surprises.
Search for rentals that do not require credit checks
Different landlords have different standards, and many home or apartment rentals can be leased without delving too deeply into credit history. This is especially true for smaller apartment buildings or single-family homes. The less competition for a given rental, the less likely you’ll have to submit your scores. Looking for cheaper apartments for rent might also be a good option.
Ask to provide your credit score yourself
If your report is required, request to submit it yourself. You can attach a statement explaining problems that appear on report. This is your opportunity to demonstrate that despite your score, you will be able to pay your rent on time and until your lease expires. If possible, also attach a letter of recommendation from previous landlord(s). Not only will explanations and letters put the number on your credit report into perspective, it also demonstrates responsibility. Many people have gone through periods of financial hardship—what’s important is that your landlord sees that your current situation is stable, and that you can be trusted.
Avoid too many “hard inquiries”
A “hard inquiry” about credit is one made by someone other than yourself. Too many of these will lower your score. This is another good reason to provide credit reports to landlords yourself, rather than waiting for them to run a check.
Bottom line:
A bad credit score does not mean you can never rent again—it just might mean a little extra work. For more information, check out our blog post on Credit Scores and Apartments for Rent.
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Most companies will advise you that ‘credit’ doesn’t have anything to do with renting.
That line of thought is very outdated and whomever believes this probably hasn’t tried to rent an apartment in years !!!….
There exists your 3 major credit bureaus and now several rent bureaus. the rent bureaus are not FICO score score driven models, they simply allow your landlord or property management company to report late rent payments, lease ‘skips’, broken leases, evictions, and balances due to the apartment or landlord.
Do not allow someone to sell you o the idea of ‘credit scores’ and only credit scores determine whether a landlord will accept you. Even the smallest landlords now with ONE Rental property have access to these extensive databases.
BOTTOMLINE: Everyone has access to report problem tenants and Everyone can easily obtain that data for under $30 !!! (When in the past this was only available to major property management companies and Landlords with MANY properties.)
EZ Lease is the bad credit renter’s pot of gold!
The application process is quick and painless. Best of all, there is no credit check.
I’m looking for a apt for my kids and me. I’m looking for the wheat ridge and lakewood area are arvada also call me at 720 429 4196.
Our compnay offers Tenant background checks for Land Lords, we are interested in partnerships, affiliates or advertising,
Please contact me at support@tenacheck.com
Thank you,
T. Sweet
COO
NDR / Tenacheck.com
Thanks for this post, as it was very informative. But I also thank Sara Sweeney from the first comment. Great eye opener, as I am new to renting. Much appreciated.
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Ben Stein is a right-wing slug. Comcast should be ashamed to use him as a spokesperson.
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Its a very useful information. There are many bad credit expert in the market but this topic will be helpful for those having bad credit rating.
No, I have not. I hope I will not experience it.A bad cridet rating speaks of your behaviour, and your trustworthiness. A bad one will really make people have second thoughts about you. That is the price to pay for having one. But then, it’s not the end of everything. People change for the better; only it will take some time for other people to know that you’ve really changed for good.
hi my name is frances
i have threekids that need a apartmentrightawaybecause my kids throughget evict out of their townhouse inalexandria va i need helpme need a apt my phone is 5712740667or 5712477623
Hi Frances — here are the available apartments and homes we found in Alexandria: http://www.mynewplace.com/search?back=T&q=alexandria%2C+va. From there, you can narrow the results by choosing rent range, number of bedrooms/bathrooms, etc. You can also use the “Check Availability” button to contact landlords with specific questions about their requirements or the properties. Hope some of those work for you, and let us know if you need any help using our site!
Julia
MyNewPlace.com
I currently live with my cousin, and I need to get my own place for me and my daughter soon or we will be without a roof over our heads. My credit is terrible and I can’t get approved anywhere. yes I can pull my credit report and start paying off my debt (currently doing that now) but in the mean time I need a place to live. Do you have any suggestions or know of any places the place ALL emphasis on credit
ANYONE FROM TENNESSEE? I HAVE GOT TO FIND A PLACE TO LIVE.
Hi Cindy — where in Tennessee are you hoping to move? If you go to http://www.mynewplace.com and enter your city or zip code, you’ll get a list of available apartments in your area. From there, you can narrow your results by choosing rent range, number of bedrooms/bathrooms, etc. Hope that gets you started, and let us know if you need any help using our site!
Julia
MyNewPlace.com