Can I rent private if I have a low credit score?

Can I rent an apartment in Denver with a bad credit score?

• I'm looking to move to Denver in the next couple of months and just found out my credit score is in the 570-580 range--I knew it was bad, but was quite shocked when I found out just how bad. I was laid off several years ago and a few of my accounts went into collections, which I was not aware of. I have a solid rental history and have good references in that regard. Also, my income is now steady, but not a large income. I wanted to move in about 4 months, which means I will need to start looking for a new apartment in about 3 months. I'd like to rent a place in the $600-$650 range. Is this possible?

• Answer:

  Maybe. You provide the price range you're looking at, but not your income. That's one thing any landlord will look at. If your gross is $1,400 a month . . . no, no intelligent landlord will rent to you. If your gross income is $2,500 a month, you're over that hurdle. As far as your credit score--not great, but it may not absolutely rule you out. You'll have a better chance of success renting from an individual landlord (someone who owns a condo, for instance), rather than a big management company. The reason: Big management companies usually have rigid, inflexible rules about credit (and other things). I don't know what their cut-offs would be but if--for instance--they require someone with a credit score of over 600, likely there's nothing you could do to persuade them otherwise. Individual owners sometimes are more flexible . . . especially if you have a good rental history. Hope that helps.