very poor credit/good income/great references = homeless (real estate, to rent)

[jerseyjersey]

Have you tried smaller landlords (like rentals of one side of a two-family house, or a private owner renting out his/her own home)? I'd guess that management companies and realtors are going to be much more stringent about credit, and not grant exceptions to their criteria. OTOH, a private landlord who is renting his/her own property, has more leeway and may be more willing to consider your rental history and references and not just outright reject you based upon your credit. (I know when we rented out our first home after moving, we rented it to a recently divorced single dad Jose credit had been beaten up in his divorce, but had great work history and had always paid his mortgage on time. It worked out well for all involved.)

[njkate]

Originally Posted by Marc Paolella

Offer a 4-6 month security deposit to a private owner. That will work in combination with the references and proof of employment/income.

Legally in NJ an owner is only allowed to charge 1.5 months security.
Maybe an advance on rent might help

[Jackal1]

No negative background but 540 credit score. Seems like a sure bet to me. Jumbo shrimp? Original copy? Deafening silence? You see where I'm going here.

I know it's can be difficult paying bills. Not everyone can have a great professional well paying high school cafeteria career like mine but we have to live within our means.

[Jackal1]

Try a progressive town they are not interested in credit scores.

[masterchef1]

Not everyone checks credit, especially a mom and pop operation, bring proof of income with you and you will have a landlord more willing to rent, also look presentable, I know someone who is a landlord and will not rent to people who look like "druggies", also do not tell your landlord any sad stories, they just want to hear you can pay your rent.

[Marc Paolella]

Originally Posted by njkate

Legally in NJ an owner is only allowed to charge 1.5 months security.
Maybe an advance on rent might help

Yes, another example of State overreach. How in hell do we allow the State, in a free country, to tell one person what he can offer another as a security deposit? It's preposterous.

[jaymoney]

I like how you think someone just came up with this idea of limiting security deposits on their own one afternoon and passed it as law without acknowledging that regulations like these came about because people were asking for impossible security deposits that allowed them to tell certain groups of people "no" without much hassle.

This "overreach" was because people were being jerks. So, if they hadn't been jerks then it wouldn't have been a problem.

[Jackal1]

A good income is by no means an indication that one will pay his bills. The only measurement a landlord or any creditor has is a credit rating. Sad stories usually go hand in hand with bad credit ratings.
The only good suggestion is that you fix your credit rating.

[LLCNYC]

Originally Posted by jackal1

a good income is by no means an indication that one will pay his bills. The only measurement a landlord or any creditor has is a credit rating. Sad stories usually go hand in hand with bad credit ratings.
The only good suggestion is that you fix your credit rating.

+1.

[vision33r]

It's a landlord's market right now, too many renters. I can start rents at the top and get phone calls, may not find the ideal tenant but I work the prices down slowly to eventually find the suitable renter.