My boyfriend and I are searching for our first apartment together. Neither of us has ever lived in our own apartment under a lease (I am not sure if living in the campus apartments at CSUSB counts). I am looking at the applications and I notice that it is a requirement to include all previous residences. We don't have anything to put in this section of the application. Does that look bad to renters? Is it sort of the same as applying for a job with no previous experience? You know how employers won't hire people if they don't have any previous work experience because they won't know if they can depend on them or not? If I haven't had an apartment before, will the renters think that I won't be reliable since they don't have previous landlords to contact? I know that people usually don't like to take chances but we aren't some young teenagers. We both having savings and he has a pretty decent job. We're both responsible adults with a child but I don't think they would know that simply from a piece of paper.
UGH!!!!!!! I'm anxious to move because my living situation now is not the best for me or my son.
What is the most important thing when applying for housing? Is the "previous residences" section EXTREMELY important?
OH~ I love helping people look for apartments.
ReplyDelete#1, even putting a homeless shelter, your parents' address as a reference of places you lived at needs to be put in. They'll contact your parents (If you're in bad terms, list your siblings or relatives or neighbors as a point of contact)
#2 Why? They run credit checks on you either way. The credit checks determines if you are good to go to live in the place and the amount of money you need to deposit to live there.
#3. Yes, previous sections are important. As long as you weren't evicted for any reasons in the last 8 years, they cannot legally stop you from living in the premises as long as you have good credit and clean non-evicted past.
State laws allows up to 3~4 (MORE in LA COUNTY) to live in a one bedroom apartment/housing.
Personally, if I had the time, I'd take you and your son to apply for Section 8 housing as you might be legally qualified for it. It's not as bad as it sounds!! There are section 8 housing in BEVERLY HILLS, BRENTWOOD, GLENDALE~ SOUTH Pasadena, and you ONLY PAY 50 dollars a month for the rent as the section 8 covers most of it.
There are resources out there for you, you just got to know where to find it.
Oh, don't take homeless shelter reference as an insult. I used it when I was looking for a place. In my previous posts, I've stated I was homeless for almost 1 year. I wasn't bs-ing.
And it's not easy as you think it is. It depends where you want to live and what your budget is. I paid 960 a month in a nice 1br apartment with ample closets, gated, swimming pool in a nice area of Koreatown.
ReplyDeleteThen I moved up to a nicer two bedroom apartment 1 +1/2 bath for 1500 a month in a "rich ass" neighborhood, but it was the "poorest" apartment on the block lol We moved there for the fear of bad schools in the previous area we were living in.
Now, we pay 1200 a month for a 2 bed but only 1 bath [ :( ]HOUSE AND garage!! So we have so much storage, but like, almost no closets.
Finding apartments are hard. If you're in my class, or even if you're not, come by as you know my face, and I could help you then or via email. DONT TRUST ALL OF CRAIGSLIST ADS. ESPECIALLY IF THEY SAY CLICK ON THIS LINK FOR CREDIT CHECK.
90% of them are hackers, and being PC here, I won't name the country.
If the add has a 800#, they are an agency and you pay a grip for nothing they just give you a list of papers and addresses for you to go check out.
You're better off driving around in the community you want to live in and checking to see if they have ads or for rent signs and check em' out. It took me 2 months to find my place.
west-side rentals is OKAY. But you do pay like 60 bux for 2 months of usage or something like that. We found nice apartments, but like I've said, you'll always find something wrong with the apartment. small kitchen, too little closets, weird bathrooms, signs that says "This building contains contaminants known to cause cancer and birth defects" then you book it the other way.
also, if the ad looks TOO GOOD to be true, then it's fake as hell.
ReplyDeletelike "need someone to take over a 2 bedroom + den town house, 2 full bathrooms for 1100 a mont in Rancho Palos Verdes"
like, yeah right.
OMG!! You're awesome!! That's a lot of information. When I saw that I had three comments I thought they were from three different people. Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteI have signed up for Section 8 in the South Bay area (which is where I live) and they told me that they have had people on the waiting list since 1989 so I may be waiting a very long time. I have also been looking at Jenkins Property Management which is the most popular one in my area. My mother and I aren't on horrible terms so I know she would give a good recommendation. Also, should I include campus housing? I lived on campus in San Bernardino for 4 years. Does that count for anything? I'm not sure if I still have the paperwork for that though.
Yes, you are in my class so I will see you on Tuesday.
OMFG we might be neighbors LOL I worked with Jenkin's property management and ughhhhhhhhh they're a PAIN. PAIN PAIN PAIN. so is SWAIN management.
ReplyDeleteThem telling you that about 1989 is only to deter you. They told me the same thing and I was approved in 4 months. (smile: we'll talk in private, I know who you are now lol). But the place I'm living at right now isn't under section, but I don't mind. I love this neighborhood. + I don't like being too dependent on the government for my political beliefs.
Yes, campus housing counts. :D You don't need paper work. Just a rough address / campus housing coordinator's # or something like that.
If you have cousins or relatives (with the same last name as your mother), use their #s as reference, but still use the same address.
The most important thing is credit, credit, credit, and pay check, pay stubs, or 3 month bank statements WITH your name and your boyfriend's name.
ANd Jenkin's has some nice properties. I've seen almost all of theirs last year through this area. They're nice apartments, but try to avoid their northern gardena/lawndale areas, and their eastern el segundo areas. They have no parking. really, they don't. It sucked. Apartment was perfect but we had to street park on El Segundo!? Aw helllllllllll no.
See you in class. :-D I'll help you 100%!
I know what you mean about the parking. I hate visiting my friends who live in those areas because I waste more gas looking for parking than it took to get there in the first place!!
ReplyDelete