3 ms·

So how do foreigners get places to stay at?

by jeb 16y ago

gojomo 16y ago
Proof of income and strong references, I'd guess, until they have a year or two of domestic credit history.
- hugh3 16y ago
  I've never had problems renting a place without a credit history.
  - shaddi 16y ago
    I was apartment hunting in Berkeley a few weeks ago and only one of the eight places I looked at wanted to do a credit check.
  - gojomo 16y ago
    What part of the country? (Did the locale have rent control?) In any of the cases, were you an overseas immigrant without a rental history? What sort of references did they ask for, and did they verify income in any way? Are you sure they didn't run a credit report anyway (even if there was no history of borrowing on it)? In SF, they tend to ask for a copy of your credit report or enough info (social security number) to run one themselves. And they ask more aggressively when the market is tight -- for example, in 2000, it was wise to bring a printed credit report to the first showing of a vacancy, so your application could be considered in the batch of 10+ people that were applying on the spot. It's not nearly so tight right now.
    - hugh3 16y ago
      What part of the country? (Did the locale have rent control?) In any of the cases, were you an overseas immigrant without a rental history? Sacramento and the East Bay. No rent control. I was only an overseas immigrant without a rental history the first time. What sort of references did they ask for, and did they verify income in any way? I think the most recent one did call my boss to verify my income. Are you sure they didn't run a credit report anyway (even if there was no history of borrowing on it)? They always run credit reports, even though I tell them "It'll come back blank". The last one did express some surprise that I still had a blank credit report after three years in the US, but nobody ever thought I was a bad risk. That was in the East Bay, not in the city itself. Still, I have plenty of friends who have got straight off flights from overseas and rented apartments in San Francisco proper with no dramas. As long as you have a steady job and an adequate income I don't think they care about a blank credit report, just as long as you don't have a bad credit report.

So how do foreigners get places to stay at?

by jeb 16y ago

So how do foreigners get places to stay at?

gojomo 16y ago

Proof of income and strong references, I'd guess, until they have a year or two of domestic credit history.

hugh3 16y ago
I've never had problems renting a place without a credit history.
- shaddi 16y ago
  I was apartment hunting in Berkeley a few weeks ago and only one of the eight places I looked at wanted to do a credit check.
- gojomo 16y ago
  What part of the country? (Did the locale have rent control?) In any of the cases, were you an overseas immigrant without a rental history? What sort of references did they ask for, and did they verify income in any way? Are you sure they didn't run a credit report anyway (even if there was no history of borrowing on it)? In SF, they tend to ask for a copy of your credit report or enough info (social security number) to run one themselves. And they ask more aggressively when the market is tight -- for example, in 2000, it was wise to bring a printed credit report to the first showing of a vacancy, so your application could be considered in the batch of 10+ people that were applying on the spot. It's not nearly so tight right now.
  - hugh3 16y ago
    What part of the country? (Did the locale have rent control?) In any of the cases, were you an overseas immigrant without a rental history? Sacramento and the East Bay. No rent control. I was only an overseas immigrant without a rental history the first time. What sort of references did they ask for, and did they verify income in any way? I think the most recent one did call my boss to verify my income. Are you sure they didn't run a credit report anyway (even if there was no history of borrowing on it)? They always run credit reports, even though I tell them "It'll come back blank". The last one did express some surprise that I still had a blank credit report after three years in the US, but nobody ever thought I was a bad risk. That was in the East Bay, not in the city itself. Still, I have plenty of friends who have got straight off flights from overseas and rented apartments in San Francisco proper with no dramas. As long as you have a steady job and an adequate income I don't think they care about a blank credit report, just as long as you don't have a bad credit report.