If a landlord requires a credit report, ask to provide it yourself.  Too many “hard inquiries,” requests for your score from people other than yourself, can lower your score.  Additionally, you should attach a letter to your reports, explaining past financial hardship that resulted in a less-than-stellar number, and how those issues have been resolved so they will not affect your current ability to pay rent.

If possible, also attach a letter of recommendation from your previous landlord.  In most cases, such a recommendation will mean much more than a simple score.  And property managers want conscientious tenants, so the effort of providing extra documentation might win you points.

Know your credit history, and be aware of how it has affected your current score; as the saying goes, forewarned is forearmed.  Every year, you’re entitled to one free credit report from the three biggest credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.  The TrueCredit 3-in-1 Credit Report will tell you whether these bureaus have reported your scores differently and how each calculates your score.  Knowing these numbers ahead of time will prevent any surprise questions from a potential landlord, and may also help you understand how to build good credit going forward.

Another strategy to avoid rejection is to search for apartments whose managers don’t require credit checks.  Smaller apartments and single family homes, especially in non-competitive areas, are most likely to rent without a credit score.

Finally, it’s important to remember that most landlords don’t have a particular, deal-breaking score in mind.  It might take more time or further explaining, but if you’re proactive about your apartment search, you should be able to rent…even if your credit leaves something to be desired.

Have you been able to secure a rental with less-than-perfect credit?  Tell others how–here or on Facebook!

Know your credit history

Go into your rental hunt with your eyes open.  The three largest credit bureaus, Experian ,Equifax, and TransUnion, are required to give you a free credit report, upon request, each year.  You can also get a 3-in-1 Credit Report from TrueCredit, which shows your scores from the three bureaus and allows you to compare and note any discrepancies.  You should have all this information before your potential landlord does, to avoid any surprises.

Search for rentals that do not require credit checks

Different landlords have different standards, and many home or apartment rentals can be leased without delving too deeply into credit history.  This is especially true for smaller apartment buildings or single-family homes.   The less competition for a given rental, the less likely you’ll have to submit your scores.  Looking for cheaper apartments for rent might also be a good option.

Ask to provide your credit score yourself

If your report is required, request to submit it yourself.  You can attach a statement explaining problems that appear on report.  This is your opportunity to demonstrate that despite your score, you will be able to pay your rent on time and until your lease expires.   If possible, also attach a letter of recommendation from previous landlord(s).  Not only will explanations and letters put the number on your credit report into perspective, it also demonstrates responsibility.  Many people have gone through periods of financial hardship—what’s important is that your landlord sees that your current situation is stable, and that you can be trusted.

Avoid too many “hard inquiries”

A “hard inquiry” about credit is one made by someone other than yourself.  Too many of these will lower your score.  This is another good reason to provide credit reports to landlords yourself, rather than waiting for them to run a check.

Bottom line:

A bad credit score does not mean you can never rent again—it just might mean a little extra work.  For more information, check out our blog post on Credit Scores and Apartments for Rent.

Why Lead Paint is Dangerous

Lead poisoning doesn’t only come from literally eating lead paint:  ingestion can be as simple as inhaling lead dust of degraded paint, or touching dust and inadvertently transferring it to your mouth.  The problem with lead is that there is NO safe level to have in your body—and once it’s in, it stays, and accumulates over time with repeated interactions.  It’s especially dangerous for babies and young children, who are still developing and can develop learning disabilities, behavioral issues, and other health problems.  Parents may not even be aware of a problem, as kids can seem healthy even with high levels of lead.

What You—and Your Landlord—Can (and Should) Do

Be extremely cautious when remodeling houses built before 1978; remodeling is prime time for lead exposure.  This means removing children from the building, and following best safety practices.  In fact, the EPA recently required that such work performed on old buildings must be done by a certified contractor.  The take-home message is not to just grab a paint scraper and an old blanket—make sure you have the correct equipment and knowledge when doing any paint-related work on an old building.

Even when you are not remodeling, follow safety guidelines (as put down by the EPA)—including getting children tested for lead and keeping your house clean and free of lead dust.

Be wary of old furniture and toys that might have been manufactured with lead paint.

Differing Laws

The standards for inspections, maintenance, and abatement mostly depend on the state’s specific regulations.  That can make knowing your rights pretty difficult, especially if you’re bouncing around the country.  (The exceptions for this are if you rent in HUD or Section 8 housing, in which case your landlord is subject to federal regulations.)  Again, a good baseline is to educate yourself and follow EPA guidelines to minimize your risk.

If you have experience with this issue, we’d love to hear from you –here or on our Facebook page

Habitat for Humanity

There’s a reason that Habitat for Humanity is the largest and best known housing charity in the US. The organization, first started in 1976, has helped build over 400,000 homes for people all over the world. Habitat believes that everybody should be entitled to proper shelter and that communities can come together to help people who don’t have enough resources on their own. There are a number of ways for people to get involved with this organization. Habitat accepts monetary donations, of course, but also accepts donations of new building materials. This organization also relies on the help of volunteers to build houses across the nation and around the world and volunteers can assist at build sites for a couple of days, weeks or months. Houses created by Habitat for Humanity are sold at reasonable rates to families in need who have worked hard within the program and the money from the sales goes back into the program to help out other families in need.

Red Cross

Though it isn’t directly involved with helping those in need get housing, one of the main responsibilities of the Red Cross is helping people after a disaster. Fires, floods, earthquakes or other disasters can damage homes and apartment buildings and the owners and renters of these places often have nowhere to go. The Red Cross responds to these emergencies around the world giving immediate financial relief to people in need. Donating money to the Red Cross is a great way to make a difference in the world, but the organization can also use help from volunteers. People with an spare half day a week can volunteer at their local chapters working in the Red Cross offices or out in the field with people in need.

Enterprise Foundation

This organization is focused on providing affordable housing to low and medium income people across the US. Over the past two decades, the group has built 280,000 homes that it sells or rents at reasonable rates. The Enterprise Foundation is supported largely through grants but it does rely on donations from individuals as well. Though Enterprise focuses mainly on a few communities, it is partnered with other organizations across the nation to provide housing support to people in every state.

Local Charities

There are plenty of local charities to donate to as well. These may focus their efforts on just one state, county or region and are often very good at getting help out to people who need it. Make sure you research your local charities fully before donating to make sure that they use the money effectively and that you fully support their cause. The apartment industry in general gives back amazing amounts to a variety of charities across the United States and they were certainly not alone. If you have a charity you’d like us to showcase, please drop us a line here or on our Facebook page.

By MyNewPlace Guest Blogger, Ron Leshnower – About.com’s Apartment Living Expert!

Most renters think about housing discrimination only if they believe they’ve experienced it. But it’s a good idea to become aware of housing discrimination basics when you conduct an apartment search and after you’ve signed a lease and have settled into your apartment. Knowing your rights can help you spot illegal discrimination and possibly take action to end it or seek compensation for any loss you suffered.   Here are two fair housing fundamentals that every renter should keep in mind:

1. Discrimination isn’t limited to rejection and eviction.

Securing and keeping a rental are the two most obvious situations in which housing discrimination may occur. For example, if a landlord rejects your apartment application because of your race or tries to evict you because you mentioned that you’re expecting a child, you may have a valid claim against the landlord under the Fair Housing Act (FHA).   Although many fair housing cases have focused on landlords who allegedly denied an apartment application or evicted a tenant for an illegally discriminatory reason, be aware that there are less obvious ways to discriminate. For example, say a landlord accepts your apartment application but encourages or even requires you to rent an apartment in a certain part of the building because of your race. This is a practice known as “steering.” Although it’s less direct, steering is illegal. (Read more about steering and how to spot it.)

2. Filing a fair housing complaint doesn’t have to require money or an attorney.

If you believe you’ve been the victim of illegal housing discrimination, you can file a complaint at no charge with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the federal agency charged with primary responsibility for enforcing the FHA.   After completing a straightforward online form, a HUD intake specialist will contact you to determine the validity and strength of your claims. If HUD decides to take on your case, you won’t need to hire an attorney or outlay money for expensive litigation. (Learn more about pursuing a fair housing claim with HUD.)

Have legal or general apartment living questions for Ron? We’d love to pass them on – please leave them here in our comments section.

By MyNewPlace guest blogger, Ron Leshnower, About.com’s apartment living expert!
Nearly every apartment dweller (and property owner!) can use some advice for resolving thorny rental issues and making the most of their apartment experience. Many renters look online for the help they need, and sometimes they succeed in finding reliable information and useful tips through Web sites, blogs, and other resources.

But what if the Internet doesn’t speak to your specific situation? Consulting an attorney might help, but you may decide it’s not a practical or affordable solution.

Here’s another option to consider: talk to a government-approved housing counselor near you.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sponsors housing counseling agencies throughout the United States. These agencies are staffed with people who can offer free or low-cost advice on a range of rental housing issues, as well as information and tips on home buying, defaults, foreclosures, credit issues, and reverse mortgages.

Find out how to locate a HUD-approved housing counselor in your area.

Have questions for Ron? Leave them in the comment section and we’ll pass them along!

The plan will use the $4 billion (of the total $14 billion stimulus funds granted to HUD) to create more affordable rental housing by converting foreclosed into rental units and constructing new low-rise apartment buildings. HUD will use another $4 billion to refurbish the nation’s existing public housing stock of 1.2 million units and announced on July 28th that $2.25 billion of stimulus cash was already spent or “in action” on completing stalled public housing projects. That bridge financing will provide funding where private capital, usually incentivized by LIHTC has dried up.

New York City will be the first city to begin construction use stimulus money to actually start new public housing projects, using $60 million to begin construction on apartments in Harlem and East New York, reported Multi Housing News today.

What do people think about this? Is this a good use of money?

The Housing Choice Voucher Program, which supplies Section 8 apartments to renters, has generally been thought to be a much better solution than housing projects. The short term need for new jobs in the construction sector and the need to do something with foreclosed homes besides letting them fall into disrepair seem to be the chief reasons for this new HUD expenditure, rather than some ideological shift on the housing front.

This means more rental assistance to displaced families in New Orleans and surrounding areas, with a special focus on transitioning those in the Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP). DHAP took effect on September 1, 2007 to replacing the existing FEMA rental-subsidy program. There is a lot of bureaucratic information on the subject here.

This shift in administration was the result of an agreement between HUD and FEMA. Two years after the hurricanes had actually hit, FEMA, after infamously bungling recovery, was probably more than happy to hand over the responsibility of assisting around 40,000 families with their rental payments over to HUD. Also, FEMA is responsible for responding to the immediate aftermath of disasters, whereas HUD, with its extensive network of public housing offices and employees is a much more suitable agency to carry out long term housing assistance, no matter the initial cause.

Since DHAP was scheduled to sunset on February 28th, HUD needs to figure out what to do for the approximately 31,400 families still relying on the program to cover their rents. The plan will work as follows:

• HUD will expand its assistance to all income-eligible families; the Bush Administration only aided senior, disabled and extremely low-income families. HUD will work with local public housing offices to get all income-eligible families into Section 8 housing.
• The plan will begin March 1 and go until August 31 and will require DHAP families to pay an additional $100 towards rent.

Basically, HUD plans to use whatever is left over from the original funding authorization of $85 million to transition all income-eligible families that were getting funds from DHAP to the Section 8 program in 6 months.

Last Wednesday the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs received a strong admonishment regarding the inability of the United States Housing and Development to sustain the Section 8 affordable housing program from Hector Pinero of Related Management Company, LLC, who spoke on behalf of the National Multi Housing Council, National Leased Housing Associated and the National Apartment Association.

According to a press release issued by the National Multi Housing Council, Mr. Pinero warned members of the Senate Committee that HUD has been unable to make timely reimbursements to apartment managers that participate in the Section 8 subsidized program. The Housing Choice Voucher Program, commonly referred to as Section 8, a reference to the section of U.S. Housing Act of 1937 that created the subsidy program, has helped low-income families pay the rent since the Great Depression.

People who rent an apartment under the Section 8 program pay around 30% of their income to the apartment manager for rent and the HUD subsidy covers the remaining rent. However, late payments have become commonplace, making it difficult for apartment management companies that offer low-income apartments to pay their mortgages on time and make necessary repairs and improvements to their buildings.

The NMHC, NAA and NLHA advocate the following three steps to be taken by Congress to avoid the possible exodus of apartment owners from the Section 8 program:

1. Reevaluate and audit the process by which HUD calculates its own budget regarding Section 8 expenditures
2. Pass legislation that would penalize HUD for making late payments
3. Allocate more money to HUD to continue the Section 8 program, since the proposed budget will likely result in 100,000 renters losing their subsidies

These groups believe that the Section 8 program, which Mr. Pinero called “the most effective housing subsidy ever devised by Congress,” will be unsustainable without the above reforms. If HUD fails to make timely reimbursements to apartment owners, it is likely that many of them will opt out of the program. With waiting lines for vouchers perpetually growing, a decrease in the supply of subsidized apartments would result in many families being faced with some very difficult housing decisions.

The MyNewPlace apartment search allows you to select “affordable” as one of the amenities. Selecting this icon will include apartment buildings that offer Section 8 housing programs. Many buildings are mixed between market and subsidized housing so be sure to contact the management company for availability and details. Another great resource is RealPage.com’s MPF Research, which conducts original research to detect rental market trends.

Check out our forthcoming apartment guide for more tips on affordable apartments and updates on the Section 8 housing program.