This is quite common. I own several homes and my rule of thumb is: Credit over 600 is one month’s deposit, credit under 600 is two months deposit. You must have an income though. If you don’t have a job, or Social Security income, no dice. The only way I rent to you with no income is if you pay the lease in advance, or have a parent co-sign, such as college students.

Once I do choose to rent to someone with bad credit, I also refer to a local agency, such as Homes on the Hill (in Columbus, Oh.) Homes on the Hill offers free credit counseling and classes that will hopefully help them clean up their credit and put them on a path to someday own their own home. They offer many types of grants to assist home buying.

Be honest and up front with the agent. Offer to pay a few months of advance rent. Get someone with good credit to co-sign your lease agreement. If you have a good job, there should be no problems. Go for the mom and pop landlords because some of them do not do credit checks and many do not increase rent every year. Of my many years of property management, I have never done credit checks. I go according to my gut feeling. Dangerous, huh? I have only been wrong once. That was when I took a chance during a down market, and I tried to have 100% occupancy rate. It is hard to believe now, but there were times when the market favored the tenants.

Much depends on how “bad” your credit is and what kind of derogatory information is there. If you have judgments from previous landlords who had to evict you, then took you to court to get their money, you’re going to have a hard time getting another landlord to rent to you.

If your “bad” credit—and I’m using scare quotes because the term is quite nebulous—is the result of some late payments on credit cards, a landlord may not see that as a huge detractor.

Here’s what you should do to be proactive when you are sure your credit has some dings on it and you want to rent a new place.

First, know exactly what’s in your report—don’t guess at it. You can get a free credit report from any number of online companies. Be prepared to explain the derogs on your report when you speak to the landlord or the agent. it’s better to be honest, rather than to try and manufacture lame excuses for the dings on your report.

People who are not professional landlords (and that’s most property owners, I’d say) tend to rent to people they feel comfortable with. Being able to meet with the owner and get them to have a good feeling about you can do wonders, even in today’s competitive housing market.

It’s a good idea to come equipped with personal references—especially from past landlords.

If your potential landlord still has doubts, offer to put up a larger security deposit.

And if you get turned down by one prospective landlord, don’t despair. Just repeat the process with the next one you apply to.

I know it’s tough to find housing these days. I hope this helped you in some way. Good luck!

You will most likely have to find a rental directly from an owner. Forget property management companies. When you meet with the landlord, explain your situation, and why your credit score is low. Offer to pay a fee to ensure the owner you are sincere. You may have to try several places before you find d someone who will give you a chance.

In the meantime, there are several agencies that will, for a fee, help you improve your credit score. They are very helpful. People lose their credit for many reasons, and it doesn't mean you are an irresponsible person. You probably have other merits that can help you rent a place. Good luck to you.

My current tenant has a bad credit score due to bankruptcy and the inability to make payments in the past.

But, he managed to satisfy what I had been looking for in a tenant-

If you have low credit score; a month deposit plus one month advance payment must be satisfied. And, he did.

His background is clear. I will not rent it to anyone with shady background, such as violent felonies record.

Employment and good references is a must. Expect to get a call from me.

I am clear about the terms, such as late payment; the rent is due on the 3rd day of the month at 11:59 pm.

The first three months, he would not pay until close to 11:59 pm. Whew!

But, he still pays on time. That’s all it matters.

Good luck.

I can only speak for myself as a landlord of almost 30 years. I rent houses, not apartments, but the principal is the same.

One’s credit, while important, is not the sum total of my considerations for accepting a tenant. There are many situations that can damage or even ruin excellent credit, and many of these situations are beyond a person’s control. (Divorce is a big one, as is identity theft.) So while a person’s credit history is a factor, the devil is in the details.

Did you once have good credit? If so, how did it tank? Did you default on loans or make consistently late payments? Or did you go through a nasty divorce, or suffer from identity theft? Providing these details will help clarify the situation and will have some weight in my decision about renting to you.

I also look at your rental history. I contact previous landlords and talk to them. Were you a good tenant? Did you pay your rent in full, on time, consistently? Did you leave the apartment clean, tidy, and undamaged? Were you ever evicted? Did you ever damage anything, or refuse to pay rent for any reason?

I search a little further:

What about your income? Can you afford the rent? Do you make enough money to pay bills and still pay rent? Do you have a family to care for?

How much debt do you have? How do you pay your debt, and is there potential for more debt? How may credit cards do you own, and what are the limits? How much credit card debt have you amassed? Can you qualify for more debt?

Where does your income come from, and how much is it? Do you have child support income or debt? Alimony? Is your income enough to pay all your debt and rent, and still have enough left to live on?

Do you have a steady job? What kind of work do you do? Is it seasonal? Temporary? Permanent? Is your job likely to change? How long have you been at that job? What is your job history? Do you change jobs often?

Are you honorable? Trustworthy? Reliable? I’ll ask for personal references, previous employers or others who can vouch for your integrity. Do you have a criminal history? Were you ever convicted for anything? If so, did you do your time and make reparations?

You see, overall, your credit history is only a small part of what I take into consideration when assessing a potential tenant. And if you shine in all the other areas, then I’m often willing to overlook a poor credit history. I may ask for a larger than usual security deposit, or I may adjust the terms of your rental contract to protect myself from potential problems. But in the end, it’s the big picture that counts, not just one piece of it.

Speaking as a businessman, this is how I suggest you should see and deal with your current situation:—

First priority:— Rent payability

We all have to operate on some realistic basis, as Richard Burton’s character nicely put it in the movie The Night of the Iguana (1964).

Quite literally for everyone, the home is our base of operations in life. If we have trouble paying rent, then our base of operations is in trouble too. Once a person becomes homeless, it becomes exceedingly hard to pick up and get back on track. We can see this depressing pattern literally anywhere in the world.

Move heaven and earth to position yourself for rent payability. It’s near impossible to get a job without a home address. It’s near impossible to stay in employment while being homeless. Simple as that.

I’m not suggesting you go into prostitution just to make rent, but if circumstances are so dire, that decision may well have been made by Life already. Use your finer judgment.

Credit rating:— A reality check

You cannot build up good credit quickly — period. Anyone who says otherwise just doesn’t understand the credit system and how it works.

It is possible — and there are ‘success’ stories out there to support that possibility — but it’s improbable for the general run of individuals. Accept that as a general truth and then you’ll have a fighting chance of actually building up good credit over time.

I run a 119-year-old printing company and it took us years to build up good credit.

Not to be too blunt about things, if we’re trying to build up credit while having rent payability problems, then it’s just … not … going … to … be … possible.

Bad relationship

Only you know the answer about how to deal with this one.

If it’s bad, then leave that person. You have rent payability issues already, so avoid complicating matters with a complicated relationship. Deal with one thing at a time.

My Grandpa decades ago left us with this advice:— If thinking about solving a problem already takes more than 48 hours, then your problem will need outside help. A complicated relationship takes considerably more than 48 hours just to think over. We draw our own conclusions about solving it.

Rent payability first. Everything else is a detail. We all have 24 hours in the day; the rest is up to you.

Thanks for the A2A, and all the best.

I have been on both sides. In my younger years I declared bankruptcy. In my 20’s a few thousand dollars seemed overwhelming so I took the easy way out. I was lucky multiple times with individual landlords in that they took the time to speak to me and gave me a chance. I was even allowed to split up the deposit over multiple months because I didn’t have the money upfront. I was never late with rent and was always grateful I had been given the chance. Cut to today, in my 50’s, I now have an investment property. My tenant has a low score and was having trouble finding a place. He was upfront when he applied and even offered $100 more a month in rent. Since I had been given a chance in the past, I took the time to talk to him and find out his individual situation. He had been I’ll advised and declared bankruptcy to get something off his credit report. He also had a $20 collection for a final electric bill he never received when he last moved and a cable company collection for not returning a cable box. He is 100% disabled veteran..and by getting to know him, I know he didn’t purposefully not pay that bill or not return that cable box. I gave him a chance and he is a great tenant. I will admit, the rent is usually a few days late, but not because of him. For some reason his credit union delays sending the funds. He has it set to autopay me on the 28th of every month. Depending on if it’s a weekend or holiday, the money is in my account anywhere from the 2nd to the 5th of the month. The first few months this happened he immediately ran to his credit union and brought me a money order on the first of the month. I know dealing with his bank is overwhelming for him and it took months for us to tweak it to where it’s at today. So now he just sends me a screenshot of the transaction when his credit union takes the money from his account on the 28th of the month. I know I will eventually get it, so I don’t freak out. I don’t want to stress him out so I just patiently wait for the transfer. He is so neat and organized and clean. His closet is even color coded. 😊❤️. I know I shouldn’t run my business with my heart….but if I hadn’t been given a break 30 plus years ago who knows how things would have turned out.

I think it is complete BS that you can be denied a place to rent due to credit.

1. People paying a credit card/car/etc and rent (where they live) are two entirely different things as most people will always pay their rent first. But that doesn't show on the report now does it!? So it's not an apples to apples evaluation.

2. They will not be reporting your rental history to the bureaus ever.

3. They are not basing their decision off of your past rental history.

4. They are not offering you any form of credit whatsoever.

So why it's even legal is the dumbest thing to me. EVICTIONS, I understand completely. But credit history no.

One other thing is that even if you DO get behind on rent, unless the landlord evicts you it will never be on your credit at all either...So again, what valid reason a landlord has for basing a decision off of an otherwise well qualified candidate is beyond me. Furthermore, most landlords aren't even qualified to read and understand credit reports either. They think they are, but they aren't. The majority probably know the basics but in all reality they dont understand it and evaluate a large decision based solely off of score.

Outside of the reasons already stated, why does basing the decision solely off of score matter?

I cannot tell you how many times I've had clients tell me “their score was in the 900’s" then argue with me when I tell them it goes to 850 and no one has an 850. They tell me they are in the 800’s for me to pull a 650 and then have to explain how many different models of credit reporting there are depending on who is pulling it and what they are pulling it for.

Personally, I think there needs to be a massive law change as America has gotten way out of control on who can look at your credit and base a decision off of it for whatever reason. (Employers are another awful example. Perhaps a very few select jobs MIGHT make sense but the vast majority no. However, I'll save that for another day).

In my opinion, if they aren't offering credit or reporting you to the bureaus when you DO pay on time, they have no business determining their decision off of it. 🤷🤦

Baby steps. You've got to look at your report and improve your credit report. If you need help, reach out to me.

A landlord can deny someone based on their credit score regardless of how much they have in their bank account or how much they make in the same way a car company can refuse to sell or lease a vehicle to you, a credit card company refuse you a credit card. There is something in your credit score that has raised red flags and that has to be fixed and looked at.

I have had a similar situation with a tenant. They had a lot of money in the bank and a good job but their credit score didn’t reflect that. It turns out that within the previous 5 years, they had an outstanding medical bill which had recently been paid off through negotiations that was still haunting their credit score. I rented to them because I felt they were unfairly being dinged for an outrageous bill that was paid off and dormant. That was me, that isn’t the case for most.

The unfortunate truth here is that you will almost certainly be rejected by any and all landlords who conduct the standard screening process, which is something you should have considered before you got yourself into this situation.

Many people have an instinctive negative reaction towards landlords, especially when it comes to the eviction of tenants, but you must understand that landlords have an equally strong yet infinitely more justified reaction to applicants who have been evicted in the past. For those readers who are unfamiliar with the terminology, an eviction doesn’t mean that the tenant has been ordered to leave; it means that they were ordered to leave when they had no legal right to remain, and that they refused to go so that the owner was forced to take them to court.

An eviction usually means that the tenant stopped paying rent but refused to move, or that they somehow violated the rental agreement and refused to remedy the situation or move out. Unlike moving out in response to a notice to vacate, being evicted just isn’t something that happens to people who are blameless – the court would not have granted the petition otherwise. Past evictions are also the most reliable predictor of future bad behavior, meaning that an applicant who has been evicted in the past is many times more likely to fail to pay rent, damage the property, be involved in disputes, or refuse to leave.

The statistics make this clear, but it’s fairly obvious even without looking at those: If you are the kind of person who would refuse to vacate a property you have no legal right to stay in, chances are good you’d be willing to do it again. Your question only confirms this, as you ask about evictions in the plural – you’ve already done this twice. A single eviction is disqualifying, so with more than one you might not want to bother applying at all.

You wouldn’t think that your prospects could be any more depressing, but your bad credit score really just underscores how much of a risk you’d be as a tenant. I don’t accept tenants with a score below 650, and that is described as “fair”. If I tell you that people with this score have a 30 percent chance of failing to make some or all payments, you might be able to imagine how risky those with a bad score are. As the ultimate goal of any landlord is to fill their properties with tenants who will pay on time and not cause trouble, you are quite literally the worst possible candidate.

I don’t know what you did to get yourself evicted multiple times, and I am not entirely without sympathy for those tenants who went through tough times. The one thing that I cannot get past, even if I were willing to take the risk, is that you chose to stay and make the landlord go through a costly eviction process just to get their own property back. People always blame the landlords, but we absolutely do not want to evict anyone, and that is precisely why no one will rent to you. Nearly all landlords do credit, background, and eviction checks now, and the few who do not (typically someone who owns one home that they are managing themselves) ask for references. When you forced the landlords to evict you, you ruined your chances of finding somewhere else to live.

It is theoretically possible that a hobbyist type owner will agree to rent to in exchange for an extremely large deposit and several months of rent in advance, but I would not personally take that chance. The only acceptable deposit would be one that equaled the total value of the property, which wouldn’t make a lot of sense for you. My property manager regularly gets calls from tenants who we evicted in the past, when they find themselves in your shoes. They want us to erase the eviction – which we cannot do – or write a glowing recommendation to counteract their record – which we won’t do. This is not done out of spite, but rather to protect other landlords from falling victim to those tenants.

I will tell you what we tell those former tenants, and that is to accept that you will be staying at one of those cheap motels with weekly rent for the foreseeable future.

It’s unlikely but not impossible. I have one tenant who had bad credit but no evictions, In his case, I understood the cause of the credit issues. He was also having all but less than a few hundred dollars of his rent paid for through Section 8. He had a lot more to lose by not paying his share of the rent than I did. The county made sure that his portion would be affordable based on his income, and they raised or lowered their share based on his ability to pay. If he didn’t pay, he could have gotten kicked out of the program. He never missed a payment. He was late on some, and paid the late fee, which is allowable. But there was never a month that I didn’t get paid.

These days, things are reversed and he is responsible for the larger portion of his rent, although a bit of it is still subsidized. He’s been there for years and is still reliable.

Evictions tell me that you weren’t able to work things out. Assuming there was a court order, it wasn’t just the landlord who thought it was fair. That might be a harder issue to deal with, but it also comes down to why it happened. If it happened after you lost a job, but you’ve had a steady job for the past two years, it would be different from a situation where you got evicted for burning down the laundry room. In some cases, a landlord might be willing to work with you. In other cases, there’s little chance unless somebody else’s name is on the lease.

I was willing to take a chance because I understood the circumstances and they didn’t seem to be ones that would have affected his ability to pay in the future. Also, his share was low enough that if he missed all payments for a year, it would have been less than if the house remained vacant another month while I looked for tenants. Somebody else had backed out at the last minute, and I wanted somebody who could move in right away. The worst case scenario would have meant having him evicted and still losing less money than by not taking the chance. So part of it was timing and luck.