One of the most challenging parts to having housing in America, besides the higher rent, is that most of the time there is a credit check. When there is a credit check done when determining if someone can rent a housing unit, it can cause many people to be denied housing. This is a big problem for many people who may not have great credit. This is when it is important to know about no credit checks housing for low income families.
Landlords often run credit checks on the people who are applying to rent from them. When they do this, they get a report from one of the major credit reporting agencies. The credit report will give the person an idea of your history in paying bills. It will show if you have fallen behind, been evicted, owe money, etc. Those who have a low credit score may be denied renting that place, because the landlord feels the person may not keep up with making their monthly rent payments.
Finding Places with No Credit Checks
Most low income families have struggled financially in a variety of areas and they may not have a great credit report. Even so, they still need housing and landlords who will agree to rent to them. Some people pay a larger deposit or more rent up front, to help the landlord feel more comfortable renting to them. This can be difficult though, especially for low income families.
The better solution is to find landlords who do not conduct credit checks. This will help you find housing without the approval weighing on your credit history and rating. Rather, the landlord will look at your current status and see if they feel you can determine to pay the rent. If you can show you have a steady job and paycheck that looks like it will cover the rent, then they may be willing to rent to you based off of that alone.
There are several ways to find no credit check housing for low income families. Be sure to check out all of the options below so you can find one that will work for your situation. If you explore enough of these options you are likely to find a place that will rent to you without looking at your credit first.
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) – As the largest provider of housing assistance in the country, this agency that is part of the federal government should be able to help. Their mission is to help people with finding affordable housing options, pay their rent, and more. They have public housing programs that will provide people with a government owned unit to live in, or they will provide vouchers to help you pay for the rent in a unit they do not own. By getting help through HUD you should be able to find housing options that do not take your credit report into consideration. They aim to help those who have a low income, so the credit should not be a contributing factor to obtaining housing through them. To get help from HUD, you have to have a low income and be a citizen or legal non-citizen. To get more information, contact your state’s HUD office. To find a list of offices around the country, click here.
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – This government agency offers a rural development program that will provide families with a low income a way to purchase a home. The homes must be in rural areas of the country, but if you are fine with living in a rural area or already do, then the program may work out great for your situation. To qualify, you have to meet the low income requirements. To get more information about the rural development program, click here.
Public Housing Authority – Each state has a public housing authority office. There are also smaller public housing authority offices in cities around the country. Whether you contact a local or state office, they should be able to provide you with information and assistance in finding housing options in your area that will not require a credit check. To find a list of state public housing authority offices, click here.
Low Income Apartments – Many cities have low income apartment complexes. Those are not only usually much lower when it comes to the monthly rent, but they also don’t require you to have great credit to live there. Many of them do not even do a credit check. They look at your income only to determine if you will be approved to live there. Look for the low income apartment complexes in your area to see inquire about them. Stop in and ask, or call them, to see what the requirements are for being approved for one of their apartments.
Pay by the Week – There are many places that are considered pay by the week. They are like hotels, where people live there, and they pay their rent by the week, rather than on a monthly basis. These types of places provide a housing unit and place to live, but they do not do credit checks. You can live there for as long as you need to and especially while looking around for other options, or working to improve your credit score. Many of the pay by the week complexes are found by driving around the areas where they are. They often have signs out front letting people know that they are a pay by the week facility.
It can take several months to years to improve credit scores. No matter where you live it is a good idea to try and make a goal to improve your credit score. As long as you start paying your bills on time, then your credit score will get better over time. Within months it will start improving and within a couple of years you could have excellent credit and never have to worry about credit checks again.
