If you’re in the market for a new place to call home, you likely have specific needs and desires. Maybe you want a quiet, secluded neighborhood with access to public transportation or shopping; maybe you want to be close to family members or your job.
Whatever your needs, chances are there’s a home that meets them — perfectly. Unfortunately, not everyone shares your good fortune. If you’re looking for an apartment or house to rent or purchase, you might meet with initial skepticism from some of the people who have the final say on who gets access to housing.
The good news is that most landlords and agents aren’t opposed to renting out their homes and apartments to individuals who agree with their other tenants. Bad luck might outweigh good intentions, though — and that makes all the difference when it comes to finding somewhere safe and affordable to call home. Here are six conditions under which many landlords will not rent their properties:
You’re a Minor
If you’re under the age of 18, you can’t legally sign a lease or a contract. Even if your parents agree to let you live in an apartment, you’ll need to be 18 before you can be on your own. If your parents won’t let you live on your own before you turn 18, you should still be able to find an adult relative or friend to help you out.
But there are some things you should know about being a minor when looking for a place to live. Many apartments, especially those in large cities, require that you be at least 18 before they’ll rent to you. This can be especially frustrating if you just turned 18, and you want to start contributing to your own living expenses.
You Have Bad Credit
Many landlords will only rent to individuals who have good credit. In many cases, they’ll only rent to those with a credit score of at least 680. This means you’ll likely have a hard time finding an affordable place to call home if you have bad credit. Bad credit can be tricky to understand because there are several different marks that come up on your credit report.
The most common bad mark is a collection account. If you’ve ever taken out a loan or opened a credit card in the past and failed to pay it off, it will show up on your credit report as a collection account. This is the mark most likely to cause a landlord to reject you. Another common mark is bankruptcy.
This is a mark that will likely turn down any applicant who has declared bankruptcy in the past. While bankruptcy is no longer a mark that will forever damage your credit, it is often a mark that will keep you out of the market for a long time.
You’re an Ex-Felon
Many landlords do a thorough screening of their potential tenants before renting out a place to them. They’ll look at your credit report and any other information you provide when signing a lease. One mark that a landlord might look for is an old criminal record.
If you’ve done something in the past that will show up on your credit report as a conviction, it’s unlikely a landlord will rent to you. The most common conviction that will show up on a credit report as a bad mark is a felony charge. However, many states have a “ misdemeanor waiver ” that will allow landlords to rent to ex-felons who have only committed a petty crime. If you’ve been convicted of a petty crime, you can find out if your state has a misdemeanor waiver by doing a quick Internet search.
You Use Drugs or Alcohol
If you’ve been convicted of a drug- or alcohol-related crime in the past, it’s unlikely you’ll be accepted as a tenant by most landlords. Knowing that you’ve been convicted of such a violation can keep most landlords from renting to you — though it might not come to the forefront of their screening process.
You can usually find out if you’ve committed a drug- or alcohol-related violation by doing a quick Internet search. If you have, you can correct it and still find a landlord who will rent to you.
You Lack a Driver’s License or Passport
If you don’t have a valid driver’s license or passport, you might have a hard time finding a place to call home. There are a few ways around this, though. You can usually find a place to stay with a relative or friend if you don’t have a driver’s license or passport. You can also try to rent a place with no vehicle access.
It’s likely that most places that don’t require car access will not ask for identification, so you don’t need to worry about having a driver’s license or passport. If you don’t have a valid driver’s license or passport, you’ll have to find a way to get around without being asked for identification. This might mean taking public transportation, getting a friend to let you use their car, or doing some other creative solution.
You’re in a Landlord Walk-Up Program
The last condition that might keep you from living in an apartment or house you can afford is that you’re in a landlord walk-up program. Many programs allow you to pay a relatively small amount of rent until you find a job, get married, or start contributing to your own living expenses. If you’re in a program like this, you might be able to find a place to live for a relatively small amount of money.
Depending on your situation, it might be worth it to sign up for a program and pay rent for a few months until you can find something else. You can usually find out if you’re in a landlord walk-up program by asking the landlord or doing a quick Internet search.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a place to live, you have many options. You can look for an apartment or house online, at a real estate agent, or through a roommate. If you’re looking for something less expensive, you could try a hotel or motel. Before you spend time searching for a place to rent, you might want to consider what conditions might keep you out of the housing market.
