Condo Rental in Round Rock or Pflugerville (Austin: apartment complexes, rentals)

[silvermoon1170]

Hey Everyone,

If anyone can point me in the direction of specific realtors who handle condo rentals in the burbs of Austin I would appreciate it. I recently became more successful with my writing on KDP and will be able to pay rent up front but unfortunately I don't have a tax return from last year since I was unemployed then. Apartment complexes won't let me rent without a W-2 or tax return unfortunately!

Any assistance is appreciated!

silvermoon

[Aquitaine]

Hi! Suburban landlord here.

You'll run into the same issue with a condo. Landlords want to see your credit and income history. If you didn't earn any money last year, you have no income history.

When you say 'pay rent up front,' do you mean the entire lease up front? Because that would certainly give you some bargaining power.

What might work for you is to find a smaller landlord willing to compromise - four months' rent up front, two months' security, something along those lines. How much you'd need up front would (to me) depend on how stable your present income is. My first question to you would be 'what guarantee do you have that your recent good fortune will remain consistent over the course of the lease?'

At any rate, you need to find a way to present yourself as less of a risk, or else compensate for that risk somehow.

[silvermoon1170]

Hi!

Thanks so much for responding! I have enough saved already to pay the entire lease upfront so that is what I would prefer to do. It's just I don't know who I should reach out to and was hoping for recommendations. I am looking for a 1br condo.

Thanks!

[mark311]

Originally Posted by silvermoon1170

Thanks so much for responding! I have enough saved already to pay the entire lease upfront so that is what I would prefer to do. !

I know that you need a place to live, but be careful doing that. Offer to pay the first and last months rent along with a security deposit. I would try almost any other alternative possible before paying a condo owner an entire lease up front. It's just not a good idea at all.

[silvermoon1170]

Hi!

Oh! I appreciate you letting me know that. Without the proof of income I wasn't sure the best way to approach that. Thank you!

[Aquitaine]

It sounds like you've taken the right steps already, so you just need to find someone willing to deal. Any smaller landlord in Austin or the burbs should be fine, and I agree that the entire thing up front is probably not necessary (though I'd probably still ask for it unless you had proof of current income)

Just be up front and say you'll pay a larger portion up front and add an extra month's deposit. If your credit checks out you should be OK.

[CptnRn]

I know from numerous discussion on the Renting forum that many landlords consider it undesirable to have a tenant pay the entire lease upfront. That makes it much harder to get rid of them if you find they are destroying the property. Most would prefer a larger deposit, first and last month's rent, etc.

Most landlords also understand that some people, especially young people, are just getting started in their carreers and often don't have a lot of work experience or prior references available yet. Private landlords are generally more flexible than corporate landlords, such as with large complexes.