How to Rent a House with Bad Credit

Last Updated: January 11, 2023 References

If you’re looking to rent a house and you have a bad credit score, you may have a bit of trouble finding a landlord who will rent to you. Luckily, even if you have bad credit, it’s not impossible to find a house to rent! By finding good rental opportunities and taking steps to strengthen your application, you can greatly improve your chances of renting a house with bad credit.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Finding Good Rental Opportunities

1
Limit your search to houses that don’t have high credit requirements. Houses being leased by smaller rental companies sometimes won’t require their tenants to have better-than-average credit scores. In fact, some won’t even perform a credit check at all. Go online to search for rental companies in your area that advertise low-credit or no-credit-check rentals.^{[1]
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- Craigslist is one of the best sites to use for finding smaller rental companies that have trouble competing with larger companies on traditional renting websites.
- Consider focusing your search on areas with high vacancy rates, since landlords in these companies tend to be more willing to bring in renters with low credit scores in order to fill their vacant properties.
2
Look to move in with a roommate who’s already on the lease. Ideally, try to move in with someone who’s in the middle of their lease and who has a solid credit score. Alternatively, you can also look for rental opportunities that allow 1 of 2 roommates to sign the lease and find a potential roommate with good credit who’d be willing to sign the lease for both of you.^{[2]
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- Moving in with a roommate also has the added benefit of cutting the cost of most of your bills in half, giving you the financial flexibility to work on improving your credit score.
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3
Rent from individual landlords instead of rental companies. Like smaller rental companies, individual landlords are much more likely to not require a credit check for new renters. Look for these landlords online or in the classifieds section in your local newspaper.^{[3]
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- Because they’re competing with much bigger companies in the renting world, individual landlords are also more inclined to give you the benefit of the doubt when it comes to your poor credit.
- Craigslist is the best site available for finding individual landlords online.
4
Opt for shorter lease periods that don’t require as big of a commitment. Landlords will generally be less worried renting to someone with poor credit if they only have to lease the property for 3-6 months rather than a whole year. You can search for short-term rentals on any website that allows you to digitally search for properties to rent.^{[4]
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- Note that the monthly rent for a short-term lease is often greater than it is for longer leases.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Improving Your Rental Application

1
Find a trusted friend with good credit to co-sign your application. Although you’ll be the only one actually living in the house, the co-signer promises to cover any payments to the landlord that you’re unable to make. Ask someone who knows you and trusts you to pay your bills on time to be your co-signer in order to reassure any hesitant potential landlords.^{[5]
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- Be aware that if you fail to pay your rent, your landlord will ask your co-signer to do so, which could put a strain on your relationship with them.
2
Submit recommendations from previous landlords with your application. If you’ve had no trouble making rent payments on time in the past, ask your former landlords if they’d be willing to vouch for you in applying to rent a house. Even if your previous rental arrangements were short-term, these recommendations can still hold a lot of weight when it comes to applying to rent a house with bad credit.^{[6]
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- Get these recommendations in the form of letters and make several copies that you can give to multiple potential landlords.
- You can also ask your former and current employers and even your personal friends for a character reference, if you feel it’d make your application stronger.
3
Provide evidence that shows you have a steady, solid income. If you have a low credit score, demonstrating that you’re gainfully employed and making enough money to cover rent can go a long way to convincing a landlord to let you rent from them. Bring recent pay stubs, your tax returns, and a letter from your current employer verifying your employment status when you go to apply to rent a house.^{[7]
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- Most landlords will consider an income equal to 30-40 times the monthly rent to be high enough to rent to someone with bad credit.
4
Suggest paying part of the rent in advance if you have the money. You normally have to pay the first month’s rent and a security deposit upfront, so offering to pay the first 2 or 3 months’ rent might make a potential landlord look past the low credit score on your application. Make this offer in negotiation with the landlord if they initially reject your application.^{[8]
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- You may even offer to pay up to 6 months’ rent in advance, if you have enough money to do so.
5
Offer to pay a higher rent or security deposit if you have to. If you need to move in right away, a landlord might be more willing to accept your application if you offer to pay them a little bit extra each month. This will cost you more in the long run, so only opt to do this if you can’t afford to wait a few months to find a cheaper house to rent.^{[9]
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