Renting an Apartment Despite of Bad Credit

By Irene James

In today's leasing world, most apartment complexes conduct credit checks on prospective tenants before they can approve for an apartment. Some people find this practice controversial since they do not see why a leasing office would be interested in conductive a comprehensive credit check on a other areas of one's credit other than those that pertain to housing or broken leases. But this is a reality that most tenants have to contend with in order to get an apartment. Apartment complexes do this in order to protect themselves from discriminatory allegations and also to create a safe environment for existing tenants. With that said, can bad credit cause you to be denied an apartment?

The criteria that apartments use to determine tenant approval varies from apartment to apartment with some being more strict than others. Apartments are owned by different entities. Some are owned by different corporations while others are owned by individuals. Those that are owned by individuals tend to be more lenient than those owned by larger companies and if you have bad credit, you might want to know which ones are owned by individuals. Then there are apartments which will not approve you if you owe more than $1500 to previous landlords. Others are concerned about utilities in collections while others will flat out deny you if you have a broken lease. The key is to ask.

Before you embark on an apartment search, check your credit score. It is always beneficial to know what is contained in your credit file including your FICO score. You can easily do this by contacting Experian, TransUnion and Equifax, the three major credit bureaus. You can also go to annualcreditreport.com and get a free copy if you have not already done so. You'll be amazing at how many people embark on an apartment search without first scrutinizing their credit report.
As we mentioned earlier,ask. Before you go into the process of getting that money order for your security deposit, ask what the leasing criteria is. If the apartment complex does not tolerate people with less than perfect credit, do not bother to write the check for the application fee or get that money order. Simply go elsewhere. Some apartments are obnoxious enough to receive your deposit even though you have informed them you have bad credit. In most cases a simple phone call can give you the information you need.

If you have bad credit, ask the apartment complex whether they can take a larger deposit. Some will agree. Again, some will decline. Offering a larger deposit signals to the apartment manager that you are a responsible person and that you want to look out for the interests of the tenant.
Another tactic you can employ is to get a cosigner. This is someone who has excellent credit and does not mind having his name down. Sometimes it can be difficult getting a cosigner. If that is the case with you then just get references These can be people are respected in the community and that can state that they know you and that you are a person who is trustworthy.

Irene James is an internet expert specializing in credit issues and has been helping disadvantaged families and individuals who have credit or criminal histories find housing. Visit http://www.simplecreditsecrets.net for more details.
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