sohosid

Possibly getting a bit ahead of myself since by our timeline we won't be leaving for sunny California till Autumn (sorry, better start to learn the lingo....Fall) next year...but we have started to look into what areas and kinds of apartments we will be able to afford when we finally hit San Francisco.

The question I've got for you lot is has anyone hit problems renting apartments when you haven't yet found work..? We will have easily 6 months rent available up front, and possibly as much as 12 (although I'd rather not give a landlord a years cash right away), but of course would not have a US credit history. We are UK property owners, so the only references we could get would be past employers, mortgage company and bank....will this be enough? Any experiences to share??

Cheers

Mike.

Lesley1020

Well, I can offer this info - when I first organized my apartment when I was out here on the trip I actually got my job - I went around several and at that point, my mum was possibly going to rent an apt and come here too, just leaving every 3 mos on the visa waiver - now I explained to them that she would not be in employment and the story was pretty much the same everywhere - it wouldn't be a problem if she could pay 6 months up front and they wanted bank statements, references etc - and I think they wanted me to go as guarantor for her (hilarious lol) as I was working.

As far as it went with me, I had to provide a letter from my employer confirming my salary, a reference from my mortgage company which served as a credit reference etc., and they didn't charge me any more of a deposite than normal. In fact, getting my apartment was far easier than anything else I have encountered here!

I dont' think you will have huge problems - just be prepared to provide bank statements, references and cash up front. If you go to a propety that is managed by a large company, I think it will be OK - but just dont expect to get any money back if you chose to leave early!

datcha

Our experience was that our apartment complex wanted to see proof of income (I'd just got offered a US job so the "offer of employment" letter did the trick) and a quick fax from our previous landlord in the UK before letting us rent. Not sure but this is probably pretty common. The only money upfront needed was $100 to "hold" our the apartment for a couple of months until we were ready to move in.

On the plus side, loads of apartment places here in LA area are offering some really good deals to move in - we got 1 month free PLUS $750 towards our moving expenses as we signed up for a year. They're also currently offering $1000 for referrals who then rent an apartment here.


Cheers,
David.

NC Penguin

It's a good question. When my spouse and I arrived in NC, I didn't have a job (I'm the UKC) and my spouse, the USC, had not started his job (though he was reassigned back to the US for the same company).

We wanted both our names on the apt. tenancy but my husband had been told by his new manager that he should mention whom he was working for because this could bring benefits, e.g. lower rent and other discounts.

Sure enough, just mentioning the employer (it is the biggest commercial employer in the Triangle I believe) was sufficient to give us a lower rent, no requirement for a deposit, no charge for top floor apt. and no charge additional for fireplace.

I was never asked to provide documentation in lieu of not having a job.

Anyway, the point of my post is to suggest arming yourself with other appropriate documentation that shows you have funds. I think you've already got the idea.

Having a Social Security Number at the time of renting an apartment would be helpful, even though a credit check would come up with nothing. Perhaps you'd like to get yourself a copy of your British credit report (from Equifax or Experian, both very well known in the US) to offer instead of an American credit report.

veryfunny

Well we just moved to the Peninsula and originally the land lord wanted a letter stating my income and place of work, after a few arm twisting they decided that they wanted a big deposit instead.

As already stated in the post above you need a SSN, if you have no credit history you can still get a place but you will have to pay a lot more money than the average American.