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<\/a>Step 1. Assess your situation<\/b><\/h2>\n
Who is going to be living in a rental house with you? Your partner, kids, or pets?<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re single, will you need a roommate or two to swing the rent?<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re sharing a house<\/a>, and a lease, with other people, make sure they are financially responsible and will pay their share of the bills. Life will also be more pleasant if everyone living in the house is in sync on variables such as:<\/p>\n Confirm that your potential roommates will be compatible before signing a lease because leases are difficult \u2014 and costly \u2014 to break<\/a>. Everyone living in the house must be on the lease.<\/p>\n The landlord wants to be certain that you\u2019ll pay the rent monthly as agreed. Landlords usually look at your credit score to confirm you have a record of paying your bills. Make sure your credit score is acceptable before you apply for a rental lease.<\/p>\n Your credit score<\/a> is based on your credit record and considers factors like whether you pay your bills on time or have loans in default. Three companies known as credit reporting agencies compile credit records<\/a> for consumers in the United States.<\/p>\n Creditors, like the store or bank that issued you a credit card, regularly report your history of paying your bills to the reporting agencies, which use that data to determine your score. The higher your credit score, the more likely a landlord is to grant you a lease.<\/p>\n If you pay bills late, have too much money racked up on your credit cards, or you have defaulted on a loan, then your credit score may be lower than the landlord desires. It\u2019s a good idea to check your credit report before you start hunting for a rental house, so you can take steps to raise the score if necessary.<\/p>\n All consumers may request their credit report annually from each of the three credit reporting agencies. Order your report through annualcreditreport.com<\/a>, a federally approved site where you can be sure you\u2019ll get a free report. (Other sites may give you a free report, but you\u2019ll end up paying for credit monitoring.)<\/p>\n Review the report and make sure there are no errors, such as an entry that shows a debt as unpaid when you\u2019ve paid it off. To dispute any incorrect entries, follow the instructions on the report<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re worried your credit looks shaky, you can take steps to improve your credit score<\/a> before looking for a rental house:<\/p>\n Depending on where you live, the rent for a house could be more than for an apartment. And houses come with expenses you don\u2019t have in a dorm or condo, so you need to decide how much you can spend and what that money will need to cover.<\/p>\n Your housing expenses<\/a> shouldn\u2019t be more than 40% of your monthly income, Case Western Reserve University recommends. If several people share the bills, you can afford more than you can by yourself, but be sure to list out all possible expenses before you commit.<\/p>\n In addition to the monthly rent, your costs for a rental house could include:<\/p>\n Additionally, with a house, you may be responsible for mowing the lawn and other upkeep, so budget for that as well.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll also need to save up the upfront money<\/a> your landlord might require when you sign your lease. That can include:<\/p>\n Decide how many bedrooms and bathrooms you need, based on who\u2019ll be living in the house. Then think about whether you need extra space.<\/p>\n If someone works from home, they might want another bedroom or other dedicated space they can use for their home office, for example.<\/p>\n Think about whether you want a fenced yard for your dog, what kind of entertaining space you\u2019d like, and how important a large kitchen is.<\/p>\n Create a list of desired features, separating your criteria into two categories: needs and nice-to-haves. Depending on the rental market and how much you\u2019re willing to spend, you may have to let go of some of your wants.<\/p>\n There are lots of ways to find listings of rental houses. Many websites that list homes for sale, like Zillow, also have rental listings.<\/p>\n Check social media sites, from Facebook to Craigslist, for notices about local rental homes. Also check classified ads in the local newspaper or other local publications (look on their websites, too).<\/p>\n If you\u2019d like someone to help you find a rental house, contact a local real estate office, says Kelly Hollowell<\/a>, an agent in Chesapeake, Virginia<\/a>, who has worked with 75% more families than the average agent in her region.<\/p>\n \u201cCall any office in the area you want to rent in, and the duty agent who answers the phone can assist you,\u201d she said. Real estate agents are often willing to help people find a rental home because eventually, many renters become buyers. An agent can help target specific areas, such as neighborhoods encompassed by a specific school district.<\/p>\n \u201cA real estate agent will show you any houses in the area that are available for rent,\u201d Hollowell added. If you call a property management company, they\u2019ll only show you rental houses that they manage.<\/p>\n While looking online for rental houses, be alert for scams<\/a>. Crooks use fake property listings to lure people into putting down a \u201cdeposit,\u201d then they disappear.<\/p>\n If you suspect it\u2019s a scam<\/a>, walk away. Red flags that you\u2019re dealing with a scammer include:<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve narrowed your options, check out the top choices in person to make sure they live up to your expectations. If you can\u2019t visit in person for some reason, like you\u2019re moving from another state or there are pandemic restrictions, the property manager or real estate agent may be able to provide a video walkthrough<\/a>.<\/p>\n During your tour of each house, evaluate the home to make sure it will meet your needs. Take notes or photos so you can compare the properties. Check:<\/p>\n If a home you like has some shortcomings, figure out if you can overcome the negatives. For example, you can buy a few more lamps if the home doesn\u2019t have a lot of lighting<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, if the yard isn\u2019t fenced or there\u2019s no dishwasher, and you need those things, there\u2019s not much you can do aside from asking the landlord to add those expensive features.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve found the house you want to rent, check out the landlord<\/a>. If there\u2019s a current renter who\u2019s about to move, ask them about their experiences with the landlord.<\/p>\n Investigate anything current or former tenants have written on online review sites, especially if it\u2019s a management company, to see how other renters rate the company\u2019s responsiveness. Your local Better Business Bureau<\/a> might have a file on the company, too.<\/p>\n If it\u2019s an individual landlord, ask your future neighbors what they know about the house or landlord. Other homeowners in a neighborhood often keep an eye on rental properties to ensure the landlord maintains neighborhood standards, so their property values don\u2019t fall.<\/p>\n Before renting a house, you\u2019ll have to fill out an application for the landlord. If you\u2019re going to have roommates, each one will need to fill out an application<\/a>. You each may have to pay an application fee.<\/p>\n The landlord will run a credit check, make sure you haven\u2019t been evicted previously or convicted of serious crimes, and verify you have enough income to pay your monthly rent.<\/p>\n Information you\u2019ll have to provide includes:<\/p>\n Once the landlord has screened you, you\u2019ll have to sign a lease. A lease is a legal contract<\/a> setting out the rules of the tenant\/landlord relationship<\/a>. It covers issues like:<\/p>\n Read the lease very carefully and be sure you understand everything in it.<\/p>\n It\u2019s critical that you know clearly what\u2019s expected of you as a renter, Hollowell says, especially if this is the first house you\u2019ve rented.<\/p>\n \u201cFind out who cuts the shrubs and who takes care of mulching the garden,\u201d because the landlord might require the renter to take care of those tasks.<\/p>\n Ask to see the move-out checklist, too, she recommends. The landlord might expect you to clean the carpets before you leave, for instance.<\/p>\n Hollowell has seen leases where the renters were required to get the fireplace professionally cleaned, even if they never lit a fire, and one that required renters to repaint the house when they moved out. (And that\u2019s why you need to read the lease carefully!)<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t understand something in the lease, ask for clarification. If you think something is unreasonable, see if you can negotiate a change.<\/p>\n Tenant\/landlord laws<\/a> differ by state. You can Google the standard lease in your state to see what\u2019s in it and compare it to what the landlord uses. If something in your lease seems at odds with the standard lease, you can question it yourself, or consult a lawyer.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re renting with roommates, everyone who will live in the house must sign the lease.<\/p>\n Once you sign the lease and pay your fees, you\u2019re a renter. It\u2019s time to pack your belongings and move in<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
Step 2. Check your credit score<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Step 3. Figure out your budget<\/b><\/h2>\n
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<\/a>Step 4. Decide what you need<\/b><\/h2>\n
Step 5. Start your rental home search<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Step 6. Visit your top choices<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Step 7. Check the landlord<\/b><\/h2>\n
<\/a>Step 8. Put in a rental application<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Step 9. Read the lease<\/b><\/h2>\n
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<\/a>Step 10. Congrats, you\u2019ve rented a house!<\/b><\/h2>\n