Back to: Finding Your Place: Overcoming Barriers in Rental Housing

1. Finding Rentals: The first step in your search for a rental should be to lean on your support system, which means ask every single person you know if they know of anyone that is looking to rent out a unit that would work for your needs. Friends, work colleagues, teachers, religious leaders, cashiers at the grocery store, if you have any kind of familiarity with someone, ask them to help. The request can be as simple as “I am looking for a rental, I could really use your help, if you know of or hear of anyone looking to rent a (one bedroom, studio, 2 bedroom, three bedroom, larger, or just a room, describe whatever type of unit would work for you) then please let me know, I would really appreciate it!?” Your second step should be to look for rentals online (Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist etc are great resources, if you are a member of any local online groups asking there may be useful as well.). BE VERY CAREFUL OF SCAMS, never give anyone your personal info (Social security info, bank info, credit card info etc) or pay any money (Including sending money using apps on your phone) before you have seen the property and verified the person has authority to rent it. Online scams are very common and you need to be careful and protect yourself. You should avoid paying anything in cash, you want to use a traceable form of payment to prevent issues or questions about what or how much you paid, money orders or prepaid credit or debit cards are a great and inexpensive way to have proof of any payments you have made.
2. Checking Out the Rental: If a property looks to be the right size and price, the first step is to check out the area, this could include using online tools like Google Street View as well as driving or walking around the area to bet a better idea if the location works for you. Once you have decided that it does, arrange a visit to inspect the unit yourself, do not rely on pictures, video or other people’s opinions. This visit is your chance to confirm the property’s suitability and ask about rent, features, and any application fees. Stay alert for signs of scams, such as upfront payment requests without a property viewing or rent prices significantly below market value. We will go over how to arrange to see the unit later in the course as you want to make sure that all interactions with the landlord help you get the unit and that will mean ensuring you approach this step in a professional and courteous manner.
3. Applying for the Rental: After you have seen the rental, usually you will need to complete application with necessary personal and financial details, including your job and how much you earn. This step usually involves an application fee to cover the cost of checking your background and credit. You’ll also need to hand over documents like your income proof and ID. We will go over this process in detail later in the course. Some landlords, especially small, private or mom and pop landlords may not have a formal application process and may base their decision off of your behavior and appearance when you saw the property. This is the reality of renting from individuals who made their own decisions, sometimes for superficial reasons. Be on time, dress and behave as you would going to court or some important event, be on time, make sure that you and anyone with you behaves and does not cause any distractions, this is an interview for the property and you need to present the best possible image.
4. Lease Agreement and Move-in: After getting the green light on your application, go through the lease agreement carefully. The rental arrangement should include all the specific information about your rental, including your rent amount, security deposit, and property rules. If everything looks good, sign the lease, pay the security deposit, and get ready to move into your new place.We will go over this process in detail later in the course. The Video is going to go over a summary of these steps and some tips to help you in the process.

HELPFUL HINT: Pick up free local newspapers or community newspapers, often you will find rental listings that may not be online, this is especially true for landlords who are smaller or have a non-traditional rental property or who are not tech savvy. This can be a great resource for exactly the type of rental that would be a fit and where the landlord is more likely to have some flexibility in their rental decisions that large, corporate owned apartment complexes simply do not have.