Current Events > Dumb question, but how do you get an apartment to rent?

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I was always the I have the money, you do the lease guy cuz anxiety I guess. Instead of living with others, I wanna move out to an apartment with just me and my gf. Idk how to start though. We both work mornings/afternoons, so were not even home most of the day.

I know I gotta apply, but does it cost money to apply? To all of them?

My credit is shot, would anyone even take me?

I have money, more than enough for whatever security deposit and 1st month rent, can I offer an extra month rent or something to show Im good for it?

I notice a lot of places ask for the money I make to be 30x their rent or something like that, wtf?

Can anyone give me any advice at all? Its not my first time moving out, but my first time moving out with just me and my gf. Im mad stressed out lol I have til the end of December, time is moving pretty quick.

ive never had an apartment require a fee to apply, but im pretty sure some do. probably varies per property.

credit score matters. would you want to rent to someone with a history of not paying bills on time? this will hinder your options, but should not shut you out entirely. you may have a higher security deposit, etc. due to a low credit score.

most places will ask for 2 months rent up front.

30x, no. some factor, yes. this will vary by property as well.

generally speaking, nicer properties will be more selective about tenants.

It varies from place to place. But generally you have to fill out an application that the landlord/property management created.

And you'll also have to give them permission to do a background check on you. Most will make you pay for that, some will pay for it themselves though.

Some will not take your application if they already have another potential tenant that's already going through the process (which keeps you from paying fees for an apartment that you weren't going to get anyway).

My tip would be to not worry about all of the above until your actually find a place you like. The first step is always to schedule a time to go view the apartment. Do not ever agree to pay anything before you've had a chance to view the apartment in person. There's a lot of undesirable things that pictures can hide

Giant_Aspirin posted...

ive never had an apartment require a fee to apply, but im pretty sure some do. probably varies per property.

credit score matters. would you want to rent to someone with a history of not paying bills on time? this will hinder your options, but should not shut you out entirely. you may have a higher security deposit, etc. due to a low credit score.

most places will ask for 2 months rent up front.

30x, no. some factor, yes. this will vary by property as well.

generally speaking, nicer properties will be more selective about tenants.

This basically covers a lot.

Just to add on.

The possible fee is towards admin fees like the cost to pull your credit score, and background check.

Google apartments in the area you want. Find something you like. Call them.

Ive read all comments and sorry I cant respond to you individually. If a higher deposit is required due to my credit I have no problem with that. I feel like my credit is the biggest hindrance now, my background check and all else will be good. Are sites like Zillow or apartments.com good to search? I feel like going around the neighborhood looking for for rent days are over.

I go to places like apartments.com, Zillow.com, etc. Then I find a listing and theres usually a way to message the agent. If you feel awkward dealing with the agent, just be polite. They deal with aggressive people all day, so that goes a long way.

Trulia is another site

actually, wait. i think the last place i rented asked for a $150 application fee. but it was like 2007-2008.

Well, you would just call the apartment place and ask these same questions and they would answer them probably.

"How much does it cost", "How do I apply", "can you show me what the apartment looks like"?

All of that. Probably you'd want to check out a couple different apartments before you pick one.

BLeeD90s posted...

Ive read all comments and sorry I cant respond to you individually. If a higher deposit is required due to my credit I have no problem with that. I feel like my credit is the biggest hindrance now, my background check and all else will be good. Are sites like Zillow or apartments.com good to search? I feel like going around the neighborhood looking for for rent days are over.

Yeah, looking for "for rent" signs is pretty inefficient unless you specifically want to move into one neighborhood. The 5 sites I know of are Apartments.com, Zillow, Trulia, Hotpads and Rent.com.

The last time I went apartment hunting (a couple years ago) basically all apartments in my area were after application fees. It was usually like $150-$200

Here at least.
Application fee - x amount
Admin fee - x amount
Credit
Income - generally 2.5-3 times the rent amount.
Sometimes rental history
Criminal background check.
Pets have changed from deposit to "fee" basically signifying it's non-refundable.

Apartments.com is a good resource. Depending on your market you may see move in specials generally caused by lower than expected occupancy. You can try to take advantage of it, if available.

Bump so I can note some of this stuff later.

Any of the big complexes will have application fees but also have websites you can apply on.

If youre approved you arrange a time to take a tour and if you like it you sign a year lease but need to put down 1 months rent and security deposit.

Btw, you will never get the deposit back. They will find any excuse to charge you for shit.

Yeah fully expect to not get your security deposit back, even if you do everything proper and move out without issue. Renters will *always* find a reason to hold onto it.

There's only been one time I got any kind of security deposit back and I thought it was a mistake lmao
.

This definitely varies by state.

If you want a summary, though, larger complexes basically never cut you deals. Its all about your monthly income. Standard where I live is the rent can't be more than 1/3 your gross income per month. And FYI if you're on the edge of that requirement - that figure is technically your annual gross divided by 12.

You usually have to pay a significant application fee these days. Complexes make bank on that.

But Ive never done an advanced month of rent. Just the security deposit. If you have to pay a large one, hopefully you get some of it back when you eventually move out. From my experience, most complexes will charge you when you move out to the tune of a few hundred bucks for damages which they know you can't really argue with them about.

Credit check and rental history verification is standard. Also background check and I've recently been having to do employment history as well. But my experience has strictly been w/ large complexes.