How do I get an apartment without a local job or local cosigner?

July 19, 2011 9:33 PM

I'm trying to move to a different state. How do I get an apartment without a local job or local cosigner?

I am currently trying to move to California. The rental companies I have talked to about signing a lease have said I either need a local job making three times the monthly rent, or a California cosigner.

I have a job now. I will take whatever job I can in California to make rent while I look for a better one. I have a few thousand dollars saved, and a college degree to make the transition easier. My dad is willing to cosign the lease with me, but does not live in California.

Other than living in a motel until I find a job, how can I make the move to California? Should I keep calling rental places until I find one that will accept an out of state cosigner?

posted by stuffedcrust to Work & Money (7 answers total)

Best answer: sublease a place on craigslist til you get a job?
posted by ofthestrait at 9:47 PM on July 19, 2011 [2 favorites]

Are you trying to move to a large city in California (SF/LA)? You may want to consider looking just outside the city, where rents are cheaper and you can establish a local job and rental history. You'll have a longer commute for a while, but it's definitely easier to find a place in a less competitive market.
posted by judith at 9:49 PM on July 19, 2011

What ofthestrait said.

Rental agencies are vampires. Not that problems don't arise with less official set-ups, but Craigslist is your friend here.
posted by bardic at 2:44 AM on July 20, 2011

Look for cheaper places. Craigslist would be a good bet. Rental agencies are generally targeted at people for whom money isn't really a problem.
posted by valkyryn at 3:48 AM on July 20, 2011

If roommates are an option: the general trend seems to be that a lot of places are less likely to do credit checks and the like on roommates that are moving in when an existing one moves out (that is, the unit is never entirely empty). The property management company that manages the house I share in Oakland has rules like the ones you mentioned - or at least they have signs posted at their office saying so - but they never actually asked for any proof that I had a job or savings. (I did, but for all they know I don't.)
posted by madcaptenor at 7:44 AM on July 20, 2011

Could you look for a shared rental - one that does not require a long-term commitment? It might be easier to find a place with roommates at the beginning. Then when you establish yourself, you can move out. Just be sure you sign a month-to-month agreement, not one that commits you for a year.

Agreeing that rental agencies are NOT the way to go. Craigslist is your friend.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 7:45 AM on July 20, 2011

Offer a bank statement to show you have several months' rent saved. And yes, avoid agencies, look on Craigslist for a flat or in-law unit or something being rented out by a normal person who would be willing to listen to you, not a corporation.
posted by orangejenny at 5:47 PM on July 20, 2011