Rent apartment/studio using craigslist (rental, credit check, month-to-month)

[cityGuy1]

Hello,

Please tell how to go about renting single (NOT shared) budget apartment/studio/part-of-house using craigslist.
What are advantages and disadvantages of renting from craigslist over standard Apartment Management/Leasing offices ?

1. Is it safe ?
2. Do I have to sign lease ? Can it be month to month w/o contract ?
3. Do I have to give out my personal information (other name) to owner/renter ? Is so, what all information ?
4. How do I check about renter/owner ?

Thank You.

[JimGriffith]

1. Safe how? I've never had any problems with it.

2. Leases are standard. I've never heard of anyone renting out a place just based on goodwill. You should want one to protect yourself legally anyway. Sometimes they'll let you go month-to-month but that is rare...usually that's only an option after you've been there a year.

3. Yes. It's standard to provide your rental history so they can verify you're not a deadbeat, your social security # so they can check your credit, and oftentimes a reference from your employer so they know you have sufficient income to pay the rent.

4. Google them. Ask to speak with the current tenant who's leaving. Use DC.gov to verify that they are the owner of the property.

The advantages over a managed complex are that it's usually cheaper and you'll deal directly with the owner instead of a 3rd party management company (that can change with no notice and leave you dealing with unhelpful people).

Along with craigslist, check out sublet.com

Happy hunting.

[juniperbleu]

Generally the way I did it was to contact the person who posted the ad and meet them in person to check out the place, area, and the application process (if need be). In my experience, it's generally a lease, usually for a year but that can be negotiated depending on your situation. Often they want to do a credit check as well. There are lease and application forms that the landlord can print out that list legalities and terms. As for personal information, I definitely wouldn't give anything beyond contact info over the internet. The credit information was fairly basic, and I was also asked to give references (current landlord). To check on the landlord/owner you can ask about previous tenants and contact them.