GeoffM

All the rental agreements I've seen for apartments need the renter to supply paystubs as proof of income. I believe some people here may have gotten their employer to act as a kind of security when they first arrive. However, I'll be arriving without a job initially and though I can live in a relative's place for a few weeks, at some point I'm going to need to get our own place. Has anybody here tried to rent a property without proof of income? I'm guessing that several months of rent payments will need to be made upfront , in addition to the extra payments due to lack of credit history! Anywhere else that typically asks for proof of income that I should be aware of - car loan, phone, cable/TV/broadband etc?

Southern California, if it makes a difference.

scrubbedexpat099

I never did.

Paid a month up front.

Car Loan, well that would be a yes. Nothing else.

Michael

If your relatives are willing and have good credit, have them cosign for the apartment. I've done that for my kids when they were in college and there wasn't any problem renting and no extra money required.

Generally the same is true about a car loan but that may be imposing on your relatives a little too much.

Awesome Welles

You lost me at 'gotten'.

tilz

Hi

I got away with giving a months rent on the apartment but it took a bit more hassle to do

Also be prepared to put down deposits on pretty ,much everything , this is particularly true when you don't yet have your SSN, you get asked for it for everything ! I mean even the likes of setting up electricity etc

I had to put down a $150 deposit with Comcast and $100+ with PG and E just to get accounts setup

We did get 'offered' a car loan at a local Chevy dealer after they credit checked us but it was at an APR of 13% instead of like 0 or 2 which they were advertising

In the end I took the advice of many on here and bought an old car outright for the first year to run around in, as this was cheaper for registration and also insurance was $100 per month (not bad by all accounts !)

You can get stuff setup just as I say be prepared to have to put deposits down more than normal , I am in CA too but North

avanutria

I contacted about seven or eight different apartment complexes in my rent budget before finding one willing to accept a credit check on me and a photocopy of my DH's residence visa instead of income, since neither of us had a job lined up when we came. It takes some hunting, but it is possible. We didn't pay anything extra up front beyond the normal deposits, and opted for a month-to-month lease since we didn't know how long it'd be before we bought a house.

Bob

They won't ask for income, but they'll want to run a credit check and you'll be asked for a deposit because you wouldn't have any history.

As for rental, might have more luck finding a private rental rather than at a complex that's managed, but you never know without asking.

Though you're right, proof of funds, or salary that'll cover rent and expenses is pretty common.

If you've got a few months worth of rent in savings, you could offer to put that in escrow.

GeoffM

That's a good idea - thanks.

past participle of get (Verb)


Useful to know in case we have the same experience!

Good idea.

Thanks everybody else too.

jmood

Re. rental - Agree with a previous poster. You'll have to keep looking around. The bigger managed complexes tend to be more strict. Privately owned ones can be flexible. I live in one of the most aggressive housing markets of the US and had annoying experiences with several estate agents landlords and pleasant experiences with a private ones.
One time, a girlfriend of mine ended up paying a whole years rent in advance because this major building company (Rockrose) would not do it any other way.

Re utilities companies. Depends on the company. Don't offer anything upfront, they might just take you.

Re. PSEG and the poster who said he had to pay a deposit. Just for the heck of it, I told PSEG I didn't have a SS # when I was opening a new account a year ago and thy opened it anyway and didn't ask for a deposit.

p.s. I hate being "nailed" with the SS# everywhere. The good old UK where even carrying ID cards wasn't mandatory.

Awesome Welles

Got. You'd say 'gotten' in Swindon, would you?

GeoffM

If it's in dictionaries and not listed as slang then I think it's fair enough to use. Other words that do fit that category I don't use but don't criticise others for doing so. No idea whether it's a Swindon thing as I've only been here a few years.

Thanks jmood.

HDWill

"Gotten" appears in Shakespeare; see Richard II, Act V, Scene 5.

Does "yonder" still exist in Britain? A while back a Virginia gas station clerk directed me to a product "over yonder."

GeoffM

Excellent! "Yonder" isn't exactly common but I would imagine most people know it.

GeoffM

Thanks - though I don't know how to find a new one!