How to rent without references? (rentals, credit, tenants)

[AngusHsu]

Originally Posted by TomSF

Thanks allot I really do appreciate the compliment.



I have looked at quite a few and their are plenty of places in decent areas. I don't need any thing real big, all I need is a small room to sleep in and my own bathroom/kitchen. Lots of in-law units around sunset/richmond.

In-law units are cheap for very good reason. They are typically illegal and considered substandard housing. Make sure the kitchen is properly installed or it could lead to a disaster. Granted, there are some very nicely built in-law units if you are willing to pay a bit more than 1100.

[moxiezbug]

I'm self-employed. How would I show proof of income?

Also, how detailed do rental checks get when they look at credit? Do they see just a score, or the whole credit report?

Finally gonna move to SF! So excited, but need to know if landlords will have a problem with self-employed people.

[catknip]

You might have to start small and build your resume sort of. Some places might be strict, others might be more open. It is an application after all, almost like a job, you're applying for that space based on who you are. With that said, consider an SRO type housing, some of them are more lenient. Basically you pay rent for your own room but you share bathroom and kitchen.

You could also find a place with roommates who are hopefully easy to be with. The lease for a shared house or apartment can typically run 6 months or a full year. Sometimes longer, but if you can find a place for a six months lease, voila, you have your reference now. After that you can work your way up to having your own apartment or studio.

[uptown_urbanist]

Originally Posted by moxiezbug

I'm self-employed. How would I show proof of income?

Also, how detailed do rental checks get when they look at credit? Do they see just a score, or the whole credit report?

Finally gonna move to SF! So excited, but need to know if landlords will have a problem with self-employed people.

They see the whole credit report, not just number, although these days you'll probably get more landlords using number as an easy sorting tool; I've seen local ads noting the minimum credit score numbers needed to apply, for example.

You can show landlords your tax filings to demonstrate income. There are lots of self-employed people in SF, and I don't think it is an issue as long as you can prove that you have consistent income coming in from outside sources.

[moxiezbug]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

They see the whole credit report, not just number, although these days you'll probably get more landlords using number as an easy sorting tool; I've seen local ads noting the minimum credit score numbers needed to apply, for example.

You can show landlords your tax filings to demonstrate income. There are lots of self-employed people in SF, and I don't think it is an issue as long as you can prove that you have consistent income coming in from outside sources.

I have just started my business in the past 3 months, so I'm not sure if they would like to see a longer history than that.

I wouldn't mind having roommates though. Would the landlord be more lax if it's a rooming situation vs. renting a whole place?

[TomSF]

Originally Posted by moxiezbug

I have just started my business in the past 3 months, so I'm not sure if they would like to see a longer history than that.

I wouldn't mind having roommates though. Would the landlord be more lax if it's a rooming situation vs. renting a whole place?

Out of curiosity, why moving so soon after starting a new business? Are you moving for business or does your location not matter for it? Wouldn't it be easier to stay within your comfort zone when taking the risk of starting a new business?

[Isebiel]

Originally Posted by moxiezbug

I'm self-employed. How would I show proof of income?

Also, how detailed do rental checks get when they look at credit? Do they see just a score, or the whole credit report?

Finally gonna move to SF! So excited, but need to know if landlords will have a problem with self-employed people.

Proving income as self employed varies! Just tell the sales agent/manager that you're self employed and ask what they want. There are a lot of self-employed people around here.

Some won't deal with you at all. Some will accept seeing a bank statement showing a certain amount of cash on hand. Some will accept a high credit score. Some will take another month's pre-payment. Some want tax papers showing your claimed income.

[ragnarkar]

Rent a room in a house.. I've rented from 3 different landlords on Craigslist in this arrangement before.. they've NEVER checked any references.

See Apartments for Rent - PadMapper Apartment Search for Oodle, Apartments.com, Rent.com, Kijiji, and Craigslist Apartments

Once you've rented with one of them and you don't like the place, you can move out and have a reference to boot.

[moxiezbug]

Originally Posted by TomSF

Out of curiosity, why moving so soon after starting a new business? Are you moving for business or does your location not matter for it? Wouldn't it be easier to stay within your comfort zone when taking the risk of starting a new business?

I'm location independent.

It's actually not that risky because my services (ad writer) are in very high demand, especially in a big city like S.F.

S.F. is great for a business like mine :-)

Plus, I've always wanted to live in SF.

[moxiezbug]

Originally Posted by Isebiel

Proving income as self employed varies! Just tell the sales agent/manager that you're self employed and ask what they want. There are a lot of self-employed people around here.

Some won't deal with you at all. Some will accept seeing a bank statement showing a certain amount of cash on hand. Some will accept a high credit score. Some will take another month's pre-payment. Some want tax papers showing your claimed income.

I can do several month's of prepayment if I share the place with roommates, so I'll probably go that route.