Move to Irvine, CA - renting - what to do in what order ?
 

I just gained a promotion internally and am moving to Irvine in the next few months as soon as L1 visa gained. Intend to rent/lease a house for a year, and the company has agreed to co-sign lease to help with absence of credit rating.

What order to do things in
- do I need the visa before trying to rent ?
- will landlords want a SSN ?
- what's the best route to find a house for lease ?

Family is coming at more or less the same time (my wife and kids have US citizenship, just not me), just not quite sure how to start this basic thing of finding somewhere to live!

Any help appreciated

Re: Move to Irvine, CA - renting - what to do in what order ?
 

Hi
Assuming you mean Irvine, CA - I work on the edge of Irvine.
When you apply for a rental you have to put the details of both adults. If your wife is already a USC I would put her details including SSN etc on there. So you wouldn't need the visa confirmed and you don't need your own SSN at that point.
Personally I'd wait until you had the visa before doing this though.

As for finding places try redfin.com or zillow.com

Irvine is expensive to rent in, and not everyone's cup of tea. There are other areas nearby that will get you more space for less money. Although everywhere is expensive to rent around here.

Re: Move to Irvine, CA - renting - what to do in what order ?
 

Thanks for the tips. Irvine is where the office is, and there is a wide range of places I've been looking at - Tustin, Anaheim Hills, Lake Forest and points south

The visa should be straightforward, just company going for the L1 since it is apparently quicker than a spousal visa application.

We've got a budget of $3.5k-$4k, not wanting near the coast, schools not important (since wife is a dedicated homeschooler), so hoping we get something nice with 3+ beds

Sounds like the process wont be as scary as I thought. But will take advice on the "wait for visa" point

Re: Move to Irvine, CA - renting - what to do in what order ?
 

Try trulia.com and zillow.com for rentals. Also rent.com, which is a pay site (for landlords), craigslist.com has some good listings (and a lot of dross) and I think forrentbyowner.com ..... Google <rent home> and you'll see a load of websites.

Finally, if I don't mention it, Bob will come along and recommend padmapper.com; I think he gets commission from them. :rolleyes:

Re: Move to Irvine, CA - renting - what to do in what order ?
 

It's a very good aggregator of rentals, especially in the north east at least. There are alternatives to it, but this one works nicely between mobile devices and desktop, plus it nicely marks off the places you have already looked at.

As to the OP, if the local rental market is busy, which it probably is, there isn't any point in applying for rentals till you have the visa. If the employer is willing to co-sign, then a lack of a SSN shouldn't be a problem and a credit check will be fairly meaningless anyway.

Get the company to stump for a hotel for a few weeks and get to looking when on the ground where you can put your deposit in and sign there and then.

Re: Move to Irvine, CA - renting - what to do in what order ?
 

Where in Irvine is your office? I always suggest living as close to work as possible due to the drive times in Orange County. If you are working in the southern part of Irvine I would suggest Lake Forest. We moved to Lake Forest about 8 months ago and love it. We are members of the Lake Forest Sun & Sail Club and it has been a great way to meet new people.

Irvine rental rates have come down a little over the last year since so many properties were purchased in 2012/2013 by investors there were so many rentals on the market they had to lower the prices to get them rented.

You will want to make sure you have your visa prior to renting a property but the lack of a SSN won't really make a difference since you will have no credit score. I am currently working with a couple from Australia and they have no credit/SSN's so his company is offering to be the guarantor on the lease. They have also agreed to pay 3 months rent upfront.

Please let me know if there is anything I can help you with and good luck with your move!

Re: Move to Irvine, CA - renting - what to do in what order ?
 

Good morning

Firstly congratulation on the promotion and best of luck with the move.

You have already been given some very good advice and the only thing I can add is you may also want to look at a short term holiday type let for a month or so and look for your ideal location to live once you are there....The reason I say this is in my view signing up for a long term rental before actually seeing the house and the area is a bit risky....

There are a lot of holiday rentals around and your best bet will be to check out the vrbo.com site. Obviously you will pay a bit more for the initial period but well worth it in my view.

Best of luck and drop a line if you need any other help!

Re: Move to Irvine, CA - renting - what to do in what order ?
 

westsiderentals.com is a good site. It is free to landlords but prospective tenants have to pay a relatively nominal fee. Landlords like it because the fee tends to weed out flakes.

BTW, there is a market in unexpired westsiderental passwords.

Re: Move to Irvine, CA - renting - what to do in what order ?
 

My spouse and I recently moved to Fountain valley which is not that far from Irvine. We got a nice flat through the Irvine Company. They have plenty of properties, take a look. When dealing with them, having a SSN isn't compulsory, all you'll have to do I simply pay bigger security deposit. Rentals are affordable and most of them come with communal pool, gym and hot tub. Check them out https://www.irvinecompany.com/apartment-communities
Also, Foutnain Valley is a great , central and really safe place to live.

Re: Move to Irvine, CA - renting - what to do in what order ?
 

I know everyone's experience could be different however my wife and I lived in one of Irvine Company's Appartment in Tustin and lost thousands in deposit and silly charges for total replacement carpets etc. just needed to mention this.

Re: Move to Irvine, CA - renting - what to do in what order ?
 

Unfortunately that is very common for landlords, both "corporate" and private, to take all the deposit as a matter of course for often very minor damage that should properly covered by "normal wear and tear".

In practice there is very little you can do about this, but you need to be aware that it is possible (likely?) and to not expect any of your deposit to be returned to you. If you get anything back be pleasantly surprised! :D

Re: Move to Irvine, CA - renting - what to do in what order ?
 

Very true and that's why I thought it's best mentioned. In our case we needed to pay more that the deposit which is pretty bad but when dealing with a company like Irvine Company there is not a vest deal you can do. Lesson learned and shared!!

Re: Move to Irvine, CA - renting - what to do in what order ?
 

Yup. Irvine Company currently have $4k of my cash for a security deposit as I had no credit history. Hoping that it's not gone for good but you do hear stories...

Re: Move to Irvine, CA - renting - what to do in what order ?
 

Best of luck and do hope your experience with them turns up better than ours!!!

:fingerscrossed:

Re: Move to Irvine, CA - renting - what to do in what order ?
 

Evidently one that is not legitimate..

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