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So I am a born and raised Minnesotan, in the metro area of Minneapolis/Saint Paul and due to very unfortunate circumstances I am in dire need of an apartment for both myself and my roommate. Very long story short, we had been unofficially 'renting' out a basement of a friend-of-a-friend. This individual was just awful, throwing fits all the time if we cooked in the kitchen (etc, etc, etc.) sneaking down into our space to see if we were keeping it clean (which we were) and if it wasn't to her liking she would literally cry for hours and then tell us we had to leave within x amount of time, but then would be fine the next day and apologize. This was a twice-weekly occurrence. She ended it by attacking my roommate and the police got involved in our favor. But, since it was an unofficial rental we now have no where to stay and no reference. (which was our plan in the first place. To use that place as way to build rental history)
So, this is not a classified or want ad, but rather I'm looking for advice as to how the both of us can get an apartment before the really rough winter months hit, because right now we're just living out of our car.
We both make more than ample money to afford a two bedroom, as we net about $7000 monthly between the two of us, however we keep getting denied places because of our credit and lack of rental history. It's not so much that we have completely bad credit, its just that I have no credit history whatsoever and the roommate just has so-so credit because of student loans. Which is understandably not so enticing to potential landlords.
I have read a lot on ways you can get past this issue, however I'm more interested in hearing if anyone has any advice on how to approach said issues with potential landlords. As in, how should I talk to them and how much should I plan to reasonably offer (in terms of extra deposit money or a "trial lease") so that I know I'm not being taken advantage of in my desperation to find a stable living space? Beyond that, how can I be completely open with them about our standings (as far as credit and rental history go) without completely turning them off and ruining our chances of being accepted there? And also who is an acceptable co-signer? I've read that that can be an option but neither of my parents or immediate family are really in the picture, so would it be an option for my roommates mother to be one? Would that work if it was both of us planning to sign on the lease?
Really any advice is appreciated, any at all, we're both just at a loss at this point, as we've been looking and living in the car for almost three months now.
Thanks!
I'm a landlord. No credit history at all doesn't bother me. That means you don't owe money to anyone and you've never a paid a bill late. Low credit rating is a deal breaker for me, but it all depends upon what is in the credit report. Some "late pays" are much worse than others. No "late pay" looks as bad as a collection.
Lack of a landlord reference is a total irreversible rejection for me. I'm never going to accept that an applicant has never lived anywhere. Are you certain that your loopy landlord will give you a bad reference? All you need is for her to admit that rent was always on time and that you kept the place clean. Clean legal record and lots of income aren't enough to overcome a bad landlord reference.
Maybe if that landlord won't give you a good reference you could try again renting a room, but from someone more reasonable. You really need to rent from someone who will give you an honest reference.
Additional note, I don't accept the homeless as tenants, and right now, the two of you are homeless.
If either one of you smokes, stop right now. Stay off the cigarettes for the rest of your life. Landlord do not like to rent to smokers, so smoking is a serious black mark on your application.
I'm a landlord. No credit history at all doesn't bother me. That means you don't owe money to anyone and you've never a paid a bill late. Low credit rating is a deal breaker for me, but it all depends upon what is in the credit report. Some "late pays" are much worse than others. No "late pay" looks as bad as a collection.
Lack of a landlord reference is a total irreversible rejection for me. I'm never going to accept that an applicant has never lived anywhere. Are you certain that your loopy landlord will give you a bad reference? All you need is for her to admit that rent was always on time and that you kept the place clean. Clean legal record and lots of income aren't enough to overcome a bad landlord reference.
Maybe if that landlord won't give you a good reference you could try again renting a room, but from someone more reasonable. You really need to rent from someone who will give you an honest reference.
Additional note, I don't accept the homeless as tenants, and right now, the two of you are homeless.
If either one of you smokes, stop right now. Stay off the cigarettes for the rest of your life. Landlord do not like to rent to smokers, so smoking is a serious black mark on your application.
A major problem with loopy people is that they are also unpredictable. The angry drunk from whom I previously rented is a good example:
He kicked out his live-in girlfriend two or three times a week, and they were back together within 24 hours as if nothing had happened. Similarly, one day he'd talk about kicking me out, the next day I'd he his BFF and he'd start talking about kicking someone else out. (Along the way, he actually did kick out several others.) No way to know what kind of reference he'd give you on any given day.
Yes roommate's mother should work as a cosigner. It worked for myself and my roommate back in the day. Now we have great history and references, no problems.
today good credit and back ground checks are so important . no credit history is no answer as well.
while not having a credit history does not reflect anything bad it doesn't show anything positive about you either which for someone trying to get an instant profile of you does no good .
today good credit and back ground checks are so important . no credit history is no answer as well.
while not having a credit history does not reflect anything bad it doesn't show anything positive about you either which for someone trying to get an instant profile of you does no good .
So if I don't have the $ to resolve a 15-year-old judgment I should just forget about ever having a decent place to live?
it may turn out that way , yes . it all depends how carefully the landlord wants to be . i can't speak for every landlord but here in nyc it is rare a landlord will not evaluate through these reports .
bad credit is like opening a can of tuna fish . you can put the lid back but the stink still comes out .
it may turn out that way , yes . it all depends how carefully the landlord wants to be . i can't speak for every landlord but here in nyc it is rare a landlord will not evaluate through these reports .
Sounds like it doesn't much matter what I've done over the past 15 years, or what I could reasonably do going forward.
I'm a landlord. No credit history at all doesn't bother me. That means you don't owe money to anyone and you've never a paid a bill late. Low credit rating is a deal breaker for me, but it all depends upon what is in the credit report. Some "late pays" are much worse than others. No "late pay" looks as bad as a collection.
Lack of a landlord reference is a total irreversible rejection for me. I'm never going to accept that an applicant has never lived anywhere. Are you certain that your loopy landlord will give you a bad reference? All you need is for her to admit that rent was always on time and that you kept the place clean. Clean legal record and lots of income aren't enough to overcome a bad landlord reference.
Maybe if that landlord won't give you a good reference you could try again renting a room, but from someone more reasonable. You really need to rent from someone who will give you an honest reference.
Additional note, I don't accept the homeless as tenants, and right now, the two of you are homeless.
If either one of you smokes, stop right now. Stay off the cigarettes for the rest of your life. Landlord do not like to rent to smokers, so smoking is a serious black mark on your application.
Isn't everyone with a need to rent technically homeless? LL doesn't renew and in 30days you are homeless if you can't rent!
Also, are you discriminating by age? A college student would have lived at their parent's home, a new grad may have lived in dorms after their parents home. Both would have no rental history. Might wanna keep that to yourself in the future.
To the OP, have you checked out local services? If you are homeless then your city should have some resources for you. Also, if you truly do make $7000 a month then at least invest in a cheap motel room for now!
And when dealing with any potential LL (in your situation anyway) it is better just to spill the whole story including your previous LL's psychosis. They will gladly tell you whether they would consider you as a tenant rather than wasting your money and their time on an application.
Sounds like it doesn't much matter what I've done over the past 15 years, or what I could reasonably do going forward.
this stuff can be like virginity .
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