Having bad credit has a lot of down sides and since we all need a place to live, you’re soon going to find out that finding a place such as an apartment, home, and many other places are going to require a credit check.  While you have to look at it from the Landlord’s advantage, it’s essential that you boost your credit score, so that you can have a bigger selection in the future.

How can I find an apartment without a credit check?

• Check the description: The first thing that you want to do is head to a place online.  This can be something such as Craigslist and others.  The key here is to make sure that you look at the description.  If they say that there is no credit check, this is a huge plus.  What you’re going to find out after though is that you’re most likely going to have to put down a bigger deposit.  It’s up to you to get that cash.
• Call up the Landlord: If you’re iffy on a description, but you really like the place, call them up and ask if they do a credit check.  If they say that they do, tell them that you thank them for your time.  You don’t want to argue with them.  Many Landlords set this in place, because it solves a lot of problems, trust me.  Just because you may pay your bills all the time, doesn’t mean that others are.
• Haggle: You may want to save up 3-6 months worth of rent.  Yes, I know it sounds like a lot, but it works like a charm.  Let’s say that you want to get into an apartment at $700 a month.  You can say, offer them $2,100 up front for a 6 month lease.  Surprisingly, a lot of apartment places will bite on this offer.
• Co-sign: If you know of someone with decent credit, you can ask them to co-sign for you.  Don’t pressure them into it though, because it will fall back on them if you screw up.  Let them know how you’re going to pay the bills, and how you will re-pay them the favor.  If you can get a co-signer, this is a great step for you.

What you’re going to find is that there are a lot of apartments out there.  Yes, many of them are going to require a credit check, and there’s a reason why.  Test out these tips above, and see if you can land a place without getting your credit checked.