Mic1

Hi all,

In an ideal world, i would like to have a rental property secured before we leave the UK, the thought of living in a hotel or an AIrbnb for a month or two doesn't really appeal. Having said that, i can't see how i could apply to take a rental prior to being issued with a visa, SSN and being set up at a bank. Plus, just in case our company's immigration attorney is not quite as good as he thinks he is, i don't want to particularly part with any funds prior to securing the VISA. So, we're looking at a window between visa issuance and actually moving of around 2 months which would give me time to hop on a flight and apply for an SSN and open a bank account. However, to me, the chicken and egg is that at the time i apply for an SSN and a bank account, i won't have a permanent place of residence in the US which i understood you had to have.

Also, it seems that demand outstrips supply when it come to rentals in Orange County so which is the best way to convince a landlord that i am a safer bet than the other 10 applicants who are probably born and bred in the US and have good credit history? In my mind, the only real way i feel it can be first past the post is to offer maybe 6-8 months up front?

The real estate agents i had this conversation with last week simply scratched their heads over this dilemma and said it's not something they have come across. This situation must have been experienced a thousand times by people moving to the US for the first time, is there a magic bullet that i'm simply missing?

Thanks all,

Mic

Pulaski

A numbers of months rent up front is one possible solution, but bear in mind that there is a thriving private rental market in the US and so dealing with a private landlord (there a multiple rental Web sites but it seems to vary from state to state as to which has a dominant position in the local market, but Zillow/ Truly a are often mentioned, and padmapper and rent,com are others; I here Craigslist is a good resource for rentals in California, though IMO it has a bad reputation for scams and scammers) means that they at least have the option to listen to your story and may be willing to make allowances compared to a rental agency or corporate landlord who likely has rigid qualification requirements.

scrubbedexpat099

Have the Company be the guarantor.

tht

no your not missing a a magic bullet. I moved on my own on an L1a back in 2010, this was NYC and you may have a different experience, but I had issues renting an apt because of my lack of credit, places would not accept the company as guarantor, they wanted an individual. One place was willing to accept 12 months rent + 2 months deposit upfront, but was not willing to show me the buildings accounts (if I had prepaid they would have been the risk, not me). I finally manage to find a company that would do a 3 month rental, so I paid 3 months plus 2 months security upfront (I was happier with them as a counter party). After 3 months I was able to extend, I stayed there until I brought a place a couple of years later.

as you note plenty of people do it so they must find work arounds. I doubt you will be able to do it remotely. You will need some temporary accommodation. I was lucky that I was looking in feb/March which was “off-season” where I was, many were aligned with the college school year in the EV. Busy places are crazy... people move in / out on the same 1st day of the month...

fulwood

I'm sure you won't but don't look for housing on Craigslist. I am looking for place to live in Arizona and have found so many scams on Craigslist.

Pulaski

I agree, but Craigslist seems quite popular in California. One popular scan to watch out for, especially under the circumstances of Mic1, is someone offering to rent a home, and even having keys and access to show it. Then taking the deposit and, as in this case, a number of months rent in advance, and disappearing with the money!

steph0scope

It's pot luck, I guess. I rented a place in London in the 1990s, before the explosion of the internet, through a company that appeared to be very reputable - smart offices, certificates and licenses displayed on the walls, etc. Paid my deposit, picked up the keys. moved in and all was fine for a few months. I was out at work all day Monday - Friday and one day the upstairs neighbor mentioned that people were coming and going in and out of my flat whilst I was at work. Then the letters started arriving from the bailiffs. It transpired that the landlord was overseas, he was letting a friend use the place who apparently needed somewhere temporarily to stay and was supposed to be making the mortgage payments. The payments weren't being made and he was using the place whilst I was at work and collecting rent from me. The flat was repossessed. Unbeknownst to me the entire time I was there was an illegal tenancy.

Conversely, we moved states here and needed a temporary place and found a wonderful apartment on Craigslist. Lived there for a year with no issues whatsoever. We would have happily stayed longer but we were wanted to buy asap so as soon as we had the deposit saved we were gone.

petitefrancaise

Don't come in advance to get your ssn. It's actually easier to get landlord approval with NO credit history at all as a new arrival than it is to get approval with bad credit - which is what you will have if you get your ssn in advance.
Also, it's a good idea to wait 3 working days after first arrival for your i94 data to get into SAVE. If it isn't then your ssn will take 4-6 weeks to arrive. Usually 7-10 days is how long it will take.

You could open a bank account with no permanent address - just use your work address or a trusted colleague's and make sure the mail room know that your mail needs to be kept. Wells Fargo and Bank of America will both do this. However it takes 1 hour to open a bank account and start using it so I don't think there's much point in making a trip just to do that.
I actually think it's a very good idea to have a week or so in temporary accommodation as it allows you to get the lay of the land, find a reputable estate agent and get your ducks in a row to apply for housing.
Apart from all that - you're going to need furniture..
it's much easier to get approval for an apartment than a private landlord/house.

Mic1

That is one possible solution however the company will be a brand new subsidiary with no trading or credit history.

Mic1

Thanks THT. Having to front 12 months up front probably rules out any possibility of using a private landlord, for me anyway as it's too much of a risk. However, having said that, what protection is in place for tenants in the US?

Mic1

Thanks,

Interesting comment that no credit history is better than bad credit history, however, can't a low credit score be explained as simply being due to the fact i'm a new arrival? Would there not be details on the credit score showing such?

Re a bank account with no perm address, should you be totally upfront about what you're doing, i guess not as it would set alarm bells ringing. I have a few options to give a 'temp' address.

As far as temporary accommodation, i want to be in a position where a couple of scouting trips tick the familiarity box and prevent the need for an interim home.

tht

You can probably get more information on a privately owned property. Most town records are public and you can see the owner, mortgage, taxes, liens etc. 2 options that I proposed and were NOT accepted were having a lawyer hold the rent in escrow and release it monthly and a 3rd party service I found called Insurent.

I opened the bank account on a prior visit with the office address and no SSN (HSBC, as I had a UK account). Was able to get an account same day, debit card took a few days but they gave me checks on the day (which are still widely used in the US for some reason I can’t understand) and you will probably need for a rental.

Bob

The thing is, you applying for a rental, that has 30 other folks applying, the landlord isn't going to give a shit and just go with who on paper is the safest bet.

Banks, they don't care. They just need to confirm your identity.

Mic1

Thanks for the reply, sounds like you had a nightmare with your London flat......i guess you never know. As you say, all this is luck of draw.

Mic1

Your offers to allow either a lawyer to hold the rent or utilise the services of a third party service seems fair to me but i guess if there's other potential renters that are long standing US residents and have decent credit history, you see why you (with respect) seemed like unnecessary agro.

Good info on the banks. thanks.