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RENTING IN SYRACUSE WHEN YOU HAVE BAD CREDIT

Harris-Courage & Grady, PLLC May 29, 2014

Syracuse Metro is an area with great schools, a low cost of living, and great job opportunities. It is ideal for those people trying to raise families while still staying involved with the community. If you’re looking for a place to rent in the Syracuse area, you need to make sure that, as a renter, you appeal to landlords and property managers.

Managing Your Finances

When renting any home or apartment, you will have to go through an application process. Landlords want to make sure you can and will pay your rent. They will want to talk with your prior landlords to verify that you do pay your rent and pay it on time. During that process, the landlord is going to also want to know about your previous financial history, what your credit score is, and if you have any outstanding debts.

If your past or current financial state is a mess, you do have options available to you. For instance, you could consult a bankruptcy lawyer in Syracuse who can help you consolidate your debt in a Chapter 13 or discharge your debt in a Chapter 7 and let you know if filing bankruptcy is necessary.

Compromising with Potential Landlords

Many landlords will reject potential renters who have have poor credit. However, they may be more willing to rent to you after a bankruptcy for 2 reasons. First, you no longer have too much debt and thus can more easily afford your rent payments. Second, you cannot file another bankruptcy for 8 years, so the landlords don’t have to worry about your filing bankruptcy on future unpaid rent. So, it may be a good idea to talk with a Syracuse Bankruptcy Lawyer about your bankruptcy options if you have poor credit. In addition, our firm is the only Syracuse Bankruptcy Law Firm to offer a program to help you improve your credit so that after 2 years from a bankruptcy discharge you can qualify to not only rent, you can qualify for a normal interest home loan. Even if you are rejected for a lease because of a bankruptcy, the landlord is likely to be open to negotiation. For example, you can offer to pay a higher deposit or set up automatic payments to make the landlord feel secure about your ability to pay rent.

Additionally, by offering your potential landlord references to call, you can give him or her the opportunity to get to know you better through your acquaintances and prior landlords, which also might help him or her trust you as a renter.

Succeeding During the Interview Process

Many landlords and property management companies will want to officially meet with you before they decide to offer you a place in a rental home or complex. Dress and act like you would during a job interview, making sure that you behave politely and leave a good impression. Make sure your car is clean inside and out. Often the landlord will look at your car to determine if you will properly maintain the rented property.

This might be a good time to address the information you included on your application to make the landlord feel more comfortable in choosing you over the other candidates who have applied.

If you do not get chosen for one complex or rental home, don’t worry. There are plenty of other places to rent in Syracuse. Instead of a large complex, you could try a working with an individual landlord who might not even check your credit. In fact, we also network with landlords who specialize in renting to individuals and families who have filed for Bankruptcy. A good Syracuse Bankruptcy attorney can probably offer some suggestions if you are struggling with finding a place to rent. Just try, try again!