Renting after bankruptcy with eviction on record

[AKboy]

So, I am in the process of a chapter 7 bankruptcy. One of the debts being discharged is a debt resultant from an eviction judgment over two years ago. The Eviction shows up on my public records portion of my credit report as a judgment for money.

The question is... How do I go about finding a rental with these two items on my credit report.

[keepmine]

All you can do is start putting in apps. All you need is one place to say yes.

[gmk]

Properties that are managed by a third party may make an issue of it so look for owner rentals. Also, you may try to offer to pay a couple of months in advance if you can. Some property managers may just say no others may accept more creative negotiations. I just rented a place from a gent that runs about 20 properties so he's pretty experienced. Credit didn't come up, we signed. It is possible but people who are going to press the issue view evictions rather poorly, or so I hear. As keepmine said, just start appying.

[Bell30656]

The problem with applying at many places hoping to get approved is that many places now charge an application/credit check fee. Post bankruptcy it may be better to seek out properties owned by individuals rather than large corporations. Be prepared with a counter offer as the previous poster suggested. You can quickly counter with offering to pay additional months upfront.

[SMinGA]

Before applying - ask about rental guidelines. Managed properties should even have them in writing. Most (managed properties) will require a clean rental history: no evictions. They should be able to tell you, before you submit an application & pay a fee, if the prior eviction will result in an instant denial.

You will probably do better to look for something privately owned/managed. A person is going to have the ability to look at your current situation, while a managed property most likely goes by established guidelines to avoid any possibility of discrimination charges.

[backtoschool]

As all the other posters said, you will have to rent through a private lender. It's unlikely that a large property managed by a property management firm will rent to you with an eviction showing up on your reports.

I would be prepared to offer a larger deposit, and have an explanation ready for why you were evicted. If possible I would also have a co-signer ready. Even many individual landlords will do a basic check for prior evictions. There are services that landlords can use to check on that.

But if you have a larger deposit and a steady job you will find an individual landlord willing to rent to you in this economy.

[josephga]

I was looking at apartments the other day I was straight up with them. I told them i got good news and i got bad news lol the good news is i have a perfect renter history, spent 6 1/2 year at my last complex and was never late. the bad news is a defaulted on a credit card and told them why and for how much.. They told me no problem. They said they didn't care if i paid mastercard or not as long has i had a clean renters history. they told me those with evictions are an automatic No

[gmk]

The problem with applying at many places hoping to get approved is that many places now charge an application/credit check fee. Post bankruptcy it may be better to seek out properties owned by individuals rather than large corporations. Be prepared with a counter offer as the previous poster suggested. You can quickly counter with offering to pay additional months upfront.

Yep, you're right on target with the upfront fee nonsense. In the paper I noted a range of $50-$250 for credit check or "Front Office Retainer." Not even worth a call IMO. Others, especially on Craigslist, won't talk to you or show the property until you complete an application at some website. BTW, I think that's a scam and they don't have these "sound too good to be true" properties, they just collect a fee from the website. I emailed two of them and their return emails were word for word the same but different signatures, "can't show the property because hubby is afraid of breakins.....Just fill out the form and we'll talk." Yowch.

[ssmdem]

Yep, you're right on target with the upfront fee nonsense. In the paper I noted a range of $50-$250 for credit check or "Front Office Retainer." Not even worth a call IMO. Others, especially on Craigslist, won't talk to you or show the property until you complete an application at some website. BTW, I think that's a scam and they don't have these "sound too good to be true" properties, they just collect a fee from the website. I emailed two of them and their return emails were word for word the same but different signatures, "can't show the property because hubby is afraid of breakins.....Just fill out the form and we'll talk." Yowch.

Definitely a scam - they don't own the property, just found addresses and pictures online that they're using. I'm not giving you info without knowing if it's a property I'd let my family live in.

[BobMango]

As a current landlord, I mostly care about stable income and no past evictions. The problem with past evictions is that it shows someone is willing to really drag out a bad situation at my expense. I suppose I could be persuaded to rent to someone with an eviction but I'd really have to have a good vibe and get first, last and a hefty security deposit.

Having said that, I do agree that a private owner is your best shot. Property management companies will usually be much more strict.

[DaddyDavid]

I see I have an eviction in my court files.

I owned a rental and told the lady she could stay there until it foreclosed. She moved a while before the trustee sale, so the place was empty- therefore I suspect the new owner filed for eviction to take possession, and my name was listed as owner. But I never lived in the place, and never had any word about the eviction. I noticed it only when I was looking up the trustee sale date in the court system.