Renting before BK....before filing or before discharged

[researchnerd]

I didn't put my lease on my petition either or list my landlord. Why create unnecessary complications? On an off-topic note, I have to say researchnerd, I really covet your screen name I wish I had thought of it.

Thanks backtoschool! I selected it because I do research for work, but it's also a bit of a compulsion for me. Any time I have big decisions to make (and BK is about the biggest in my life right now) I have to find out every possible detail and outcome. It's time-consuming but has saved me from some major missteps.

This thread is really helpful - we are considering a move to another state in about eight months. While we're fine where we are renting now, our BK will still be fairly recent and it will be good to know how to find a landlord who is not freaked out by it.

[backtoschool]

Thanks backtoschool! I selected it because I do research for work, but it's also a bit of a compulsion for me. Any time I have big decisions to make (and BK is about the biggest in my life right now) I have to find out every possible detail and outcome. It's time-consuming but has saved me from some major missteps.

This thread is really helpful - we are considering a move to another state in about eight months. While we're fine where we are renting now, our BK will still be fairly recent and it will be good to know how to find a landlord who is not freaked out by it.

I research things endlessly too. I am an analyst for a venture firm so research is a big part of my professional day as well as of my personality.

Individual landlords are the best bet for bk filers. Besides, I think renting from an individual landlord allows you to find a place that is more individual and unique and not a shoebox, cookie cutter type of place.

[dumpinmydebt]

Interesting dumpinmydebt....did you put your financial issues right out there on the ad, wait till they contacted you by email or phone, or till you met them in person?

Yes we did. This was my husband's ad:

Hello,

My wife and I are looking to move either in November or December.

The place we are currently renting is quite far from my work and I'm spending a lot of money in gas. Our lease is up and we are currently going month to month.

We have 2 dogs (30lbs - non-aggressive breeds). We are willing to put 1 months rent as deposit as well as a pet deposit. I bring home around $2400 a month (after taxes).

I have a very stable employment history and am on salary. We are both in school as well and my wife volunteers at a hospital in her free time. We are quite (no parties) and clean. No criminal record of any kind. No judgments on credit.

We both have poor credit (unpaid credit card debt), however, we are filing bankruptcy next month. We would sign the new lease after we file so that we would still be liable for the entire lease.

I work in the XXXX area and am hoping to move anywhere within 10 miles. I am looking for an apartment, condo, or small home in a safe neighborhood. 1 bedroom or 2 bedroom. Just need stove and fridge. Would love dishwasher or even washer/dryer. But not required. We would prefer to not go over $750 in rent. We would sign a 1 year lease and are looking to stay in this place for at least the next 3 years.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Please send me as much info as you have. I won't respond to emails with little to no information.

They emailed us. He put his email as anonymous in the ad. We didn't want anything out there to really identify us. No put any names or anything on there.

We received a few emails, mainly from people wanting to sublet their apartment at a community, but that wouldn't work because we'd have to go through the complex's rules. Then this lady contacted us. She has been a private landlord for a few years. We just got a really good vibe from her. We met her at the condo, and really liked it, and her. It's ours. $775 a month, $775 deposit, no pet deposit. 2 bed, 1 1/2 bath in a prime suburb of the city. Has everything we asked for, including only 10.42 miles from hubby's work and only 12 miles from school (we're currently 25 miles from both)!!

We did the same thing last year, similar ad (not including the note about the bankruptcy because we weren't intending on filing) which is how we landed in this place.

And it worked again.

Of course, I googled our landlords before we signed anything, including checking local court records. I also always look up criminal activity in the area and sex offenders.

I love renting condos. It's just different than an apartment. The insulation is better, so it's more quite, and there isn't a bunch of people at the complex bugging us. We can just pay our rent and live. And the new condo we are moving to isn't on the market (unlike the one we live in now) which means we won't be bothered at all. We even talked to her current tenants and they had great things to say.

We plan on staying here for a good 3 years, until we are both out of school and able to buy a house.

[Cal8]

<< Originally Posted by tobee43
one would think wn....but really it will be ok...start looking now...mn has so many places vacate they would be most happy to have you..i'm certain. but as backtoschool has said...PLEASE stick with individual landlords you can talk to them face to face...honestly you will be fine...promise!>>

<<
Originally Posted by rjmwx81
All the more reason they'd be willing to take a chance on you. If they're struggling, they're not in a position to turn down rental income. Show up with a deposit and first/last month's rent and I'm sure SOMEONE will lease to you. Heck, my ex-wife only works part time and she managed to get a studio apartment. It can be done.>>



I wish this were true in my area. I want to move before filing in order to knock $500 of my rent. I'm finding out I'm in the land of perfect credit scores and also a competitive rental market. Most of the properties here are owned by individual owners, not many large complexes. I'm not close to filing and just recently stopped paying my cc's and mortgages (on rental properties) so my credit score will start diving soon. My latest report is 707 with no lates but a lot of outstanding debt. I was just turned down for an apartment because of the debt. The two apartments I looked at the last two days had 6-8 applications each (and the owners received 40 phone calls!) so I'm definitely feeling nervous..

[mrskal]

We were able to recently rent a house for our move to Florida with 4 dogs and terrible credit. We got the house Oct. 1st, and just filed yesterday. This is a privately owned house, they did background check and no credit check, although we were upfront about how bad it is. They did not even ask for pay stubs or employer verification. I did have to list the type and size of dogs, one is 19lbs, two are 50 lbs and one is 65 lbs. I was able to get the size house I wanted, in a neighborhood I wanted and the bonus was it has a pool and doggy doors that lead to a side yard totally fenced from the back yard where the pool and patio are located. Even better, it will cost us less per month than our mortgage, insurance and RE taxes at the home we are giving up. It can be done!

[tobee43]

<< Originally Posted by tobee43
one would think wn....but really it will be ok...start looking now...mn has so many places vacate they would be most happy to have you..i'm certain. but as backtoschool has said...PLEASE stick with individual landlords you can talk to them face to face...honestly you will be fine...promise!>>

<<
Originally Posted by rjmwx81
All the more reason they'd be willing to take a chance on you. If they're struggling, they're not in a position to turn down rental income. Show up with a deposit and first/last month's rent and I'm sure SOMEONE will lease to you. Heck, my ex-wife only works part time and she managed to get a studio apartment. It can be done.>>



I wish this were true in my area. I want to move before filing in order to knock $500 of my rent. I'm finding out I'm in the land of perfect credit scores and also a competitive rental market. Most of the properties here are owned by individual owners, not many large complexes. I'm not close to filing and just recently stopped paying my cc's and mortgages (on rental properties) so my credit score will start diving soon. My latest report is 707 with no lates but a lot of outstanding debt. I was just turned down for an apartment because of the debt. The two apartments I looked at the last two days had 6-8 applications each (and the owners received 40 phone calls!) so I'm definitely feeling nervous..

got cal....your in california...i'm born and raise in the bay area....was out there just a few months ago. rents are terrible.

but we had to move out of state...we had to leave our home, my kids etc just to be able to live affordably...it's been hard to say the least....but looking back it was the smartest move we ever did.

many people don't or can't go to the extreme of up and leaving like we did...and believe me..it was extreme...we had lived in our home for 33 years...and could no longer afford to live there. we knew it. no way ...we would really have been out in the streets. so we had to leave.