Apt Rental - Ask Atty for letter of credit recommendation???

[Clover329]

Hi all,
My question is in regards to renting an apartment. I will be moving to a new city in a few months and I need to rent an apartment or at least a room with others. I have never rented before, so I don't have a rental history and I am worried that I will be denied because of the BK.

If I were to ask my attorney for a letter of credit recommendation outlining that although I have BK, I am responsible and have the necessary income to support an apartment, etc. Will landlords be more responsive to this? Do atty's do that? Will it help me a little better with being able to rent?

Thanks,
Clover

[justbroke]

If I were to ask my attorney for a letter of credit recommendation outlining that although I have BK, I am responsible and have the necessary income to support an apartment, etc. Will landlords be more responsive to this? Do atty's do that? Will it help me a little better with being able to rent?

As a former landlord (multi-tenant building and a single family home), let me say this. I put a lot more weight into a person with a stable job.

If you've been at the same employer for 5 years or more, and the rent is 25% or less of your monthly income (or about one week's income)... I would overlook almost anything on a credit report. (Of course, I also ran background checks. A spotless background also went very far with me! Noting that the background checks that I run include even motor vehicle tickets!)

I'm unsure if an attorney will write a letter of credit. A letter of credit to me means an irrevocable guarantee by the person endorsing the named party on it. The attorney might as well just sign your lease as a guarantor. But that's just my read on it...

Because you will be in a new city and probably with a new job, that's going to make you more risky no matter what your credit score is. If you were applying for an apartment/room from me, there would be the background check, credit check (to make sure you haven't got into recent trouble), and significant deposit requirements (first and last month's rent, security, and potentially an additional pre-payment of rent... depending on local landlord laws).

You should be saving money for all the various deposits that may be required, and with your credit score, these deposits will come from utility companies and your landlord.