Moving to California - Housing help please
 

Hi guys,

This is my first post on here however I have used the forum a lot during the process of getting family based immigrant visas for my family - Thank you!!

My situation is as follows:

I am a dual national US citizen (by birth) and UK citizen (from both parents) however I have been living in the UK since being 5 weeks old (31 years ago). I have accepted a job offer to relocate to the US (San Bernardino County, Ca - looking at Rancho Cucamonga) now that I am leaving the military. We have been successful in our IR1 and IR2 visas for my wife and children and flights are booked for August - We are all very excited.

However, we are currently having some problems with finding a rental property. We are using a local relocation consultant (from Dwellworks) provided by my company, however they are concerned at our ability to demonstrate credit. Despite being a US citizen and having a SSN, I only received this a couple of months ago and (like most other UK expats) I have 0 US credit score; the consultant recommends a guarantor. I know that this is something that a lot of other people have experienced so was hoping that I might be able to get some help and advice for how to overcome this. We have no family in the US and therefore really struggling to find a suitable guarantor, we have seen companies that offer the service (for about 1 months rent), has anyone got experience using these in apartment complexes in California? Does anyone have any other ideas, I have offered to prepay a few months worth of rent and/or a larger security deposit but the relocation consultant seems to think a guarantor is the only option, is this really the case? We have a "very good" credit score here in the UK and will be taking a printed copy of our credit score with us, although I get that this will have only a limited benefit.

Any help and advice on housing would be great. We have 30 days corporate housing when we arrive but don't want to end up homeless afterwards.

Many thanks in advance.

Re: Moving to California - Housing help please
 

I would suggest offering the company that is providing the rental a larger payment up front - perhaps along with first/last months rent a further 4-6 months if you can, that way it is more secure for them.

Re: Moving to California - Housing help please
 

Provide a letter from your employer confirming your job and salary.

Re: Moving to California - Housing help please
 

California has laws on what landlords can use as a security deposit - 2 months rent for unfurnished; 3 months furnished. I guess you could offer more (but they can't ask for more) but how secure would that security deposit be if something went wrong.....

Our first property (and our current one) were found on Craigslist, a private landlord. I brought my UK credit report which showed a score of 999 (! - so close!) and she practically fell over herself giving me the keys. But beware of CL scams, the usual being handing over money without seeing the property, or landlord out of town.

Rancho is nice (and expensive, and a good school district) but beware of the wind coming off the mountains - it's quite oppressive. Fontana is okay but with Rancho watch the school boundaries as they do not follow city lines there. San Bernadino itself is dire, as is the school district. Redlands is better. Don't try Corona if you work in SB as the traffic between the two is terrible nearly all day long. Up the hill, Victorville/Hesperia/Apple Valley are way cheaper but I would hate to use Cajon Pass every day.

Re: Moving to California - Housing help please
 

That's great advice, thanks. You are clearly very knowledgeable about the area. My wife and I had been hoping to settle in one of the Lewis apartments complexes the (ideally Santa Barbara) but our relocation consultant seems to think this might not be possible without a guarantor.

I had seen about he laws in California with regards to fair housing. Do you know if this would restrict the pre-payment of rent? I get that it mandates the amount of deposit which can be asked for but surely pre paying rent (as suggested earlier - Thanks!) Is something completely different, although I may be having some wishful thinking there.

Re: Moving to California - Housing help please
 

Thanks. We have lived in various cities surrounding SB and occasionally have cause to go there for things (like USCIS recently). I'm not familiar with the apartment complexes though as they just didn't seem great value for money compared to a regular house where you have a lot more freedom.

I suppose you could offer more rent up front, but again I would question the wisdom of doing so. What if you get kicked out or otherwise have to leave? There is probably no protection for your money unless you arrange some escrow deal (which itself costs money). Simply put, I'm very wary about handing over more than is required. It's not like there is a shortage of housing here.

Will your company act as a guarantor? That may be your best and safest bet if you have no willing US family.

Re: Moving to California - Housing help please
 

Dwellworks.... hmmm.
have you actually applied anywhere?

Re: Moving to California - Housing help please
 

No we haven't actually applied for anywhere yet, we were trying to get a little ahead before we just turn up. The latest she mentioned was that after speaking to Lewis apartments HQ then there's no way around it, we will need a guarantor who lives within California.

To say we are a bit gutted is an understatement. Any thoughts on how we could find a guarantor within California without any family living there? We new company have provided a letter to back up my offer letter to say it's still extant but think they are unlikely to act as a guarantor.

Re: Moving to California - Housing help please
 

I don't work with Dwellworks but I do this relocation work in Austin.
Dwellwork's consultant's job is to find you somewhere to live. Part of that job is setting realistic expectations because new arrivals can't always have what they want. So, what is she suggesting you do for a home? I am aware that CA is different to TX but people turn up all the time with a good job offer and no credit score so she must have a way of dealing with that. Most employers will not act as a guarantor.
So what options is she giving you?

Re: Moving to California - Housing help please
 

Well Lewis Apartments may not be an option, no doubt there are others?

Re: Moving to California - Housing help please
 

I hope you're not paying this "consultant" who does not seem to be helping you much. That said, I believe Lewis is a huge conglomerate with anonymous individuals in Podunk, PK assessing your application from corporate rules, not a local manager with discretion.

You've got corporate housing for a month. Use that time to find somewhere to live that you can see with your own eyes. Those resort photos never show the bad side - is it on a busy road that makes it very difficult to access (one down the road here like that); are those paper thin walls between units; would your assigned parking be a mile away from your apartment... etc. If you run out of time, stay in something like Staybridge Suites / Candlewood etc, or maybe you can extend the corporate one, even if self paying. You're more likely to find something with boots on the ground in their office than by email/phone from abroad.

Re: Moving to California - Housing help please
 

Yes, use the corporate accommodation and look once you arrive. That's exactly what the 30 days accommodation is for.
I would also "escalate" this to the program manager at Dwellworks ( your consultant's boss). Write an email to the program manager telling them that you've been advised to get a guarantor by your consultant and ask them if they or the "RMC" can sort this out for you. That should get you some help...

Re: Moving to California - Housing help please
 

Re: Moving to California - Housing help please
 

Two cities to avoid renting apartments at all costs. San Bernardino and Pomona. Poor school districts, crime and gang problems. Upland in San Bernardino county is nice but the best area is up in the northern part. A little further west towards L.A are Montclair and Claremont. next to each other. Claremont is a nice college town with a very pleasant downtown area. Claremont would be my choice if I were looking for a place in the Inland Empire

Re: Moving to California - Housing help please
 

Thank you guys, some really great advice.

I think we are starting to broaden our search a little to include some other apartments as well as some SFHs. We will absolutely not be putting a deposit down on anything until we see it, great advice thanks. We are hoping to line up some viewings for our first week over there.

Thanks for the top tip about creating an application pack, I'm definitely going to steal that one. We will start to generate it here before we head out in a month or so.

Seriously thank you for all the help. You've all put our mind at ease that we are unlikely to end up homeless at the end of our 30 days in corporate housing due to having no US credit history.

Any other early day tips for moving to California, specifically the I.E. would be really well received.