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We want to rent a house in the area, but we have less than stellar credit thanks to housing crash. Will we have trouble renting? Our ability to pay rent is outstanding!
Yes, you will have trouble. Don't get your heart set on one home and leave yourself open to other areas. There is not an abundant market in Fort Mill or Tega Cay for rentals. Look at Rock Hill and Charlotte, too.
Don't tell anyone that you apply to about your credit. Let them find out for themselves. Be prepared to pay a lot of application fees until you find the right landlord who will rent to you. I would start on Craigslist and find a private owner trying to rent their own place instead of going through a property management firm. They tend to be more flexible on bad credit.
Be prepared to pay a month, maybe two months rent for a security deposit. If you have anything on your background, try to get it off. This will get you turned downed before bad credit.
Have a fantastic excuse for your bad credit if they ask you "how's your credit?" Don't say: bad, terrible, any anything like that...say something like, "I'm not really sure, but we lost our house because I lost my job in April, or whatever your situation." Let them decide if your credit is "bad" or "terrible."
I don't see where that would be a huge issue; don't most people have dings due to the recent credit crunch? Don't let someone take advantage of you based on that; but I would advise them up front of what happened so you don't waste your app fee, which can run from $30-$50 per applicant per property. If you are a good, clean renter, with a great ability to pay, then you are doing the landlord a favor in my opinion. We were in the same boat a while back, and we pre-paid two months rent up front, the house turned out to be a complete dump, but because the landlord already had our money, we were screwed. He held a grudge and tried to keep some of our security deposit even though I was leaving the place 10 times cleaner than I found it, I had to threaten his real estate license to get my entire deposit back, it was a nightmare. I would ask around for reputable Realtors; most will help you find a rental through a reputable, fair company. Good luck.
Your absolutely right. We are prime tenants and I shouldn't give up my rights just because I have less than stellar credit. Many folks do at this point.
If anyone has a problem with their landlord, contact the Magistrate's Office and talk to one of the judges. You do have legal rights, but they may not be what you think and you may have more rights than you know. The Landlord Tenant Act of South Carolina is available online and is very easy to understand. I have you had such a bad experience. Always take photos at move in and move out. Photograph and document any problems and how long it took for a response to a complaint. All complaints that are not responded to within 24 hours hours, should be delivered by certified mail, if you feel it is of a time-sensitive matter. Don't forget to READ YOUR LEASE before you sign it.
Excellent Advice, LoveMyRoses. Would you have a link to the website for that tenants rights?
S.C. Code of Laws Title 27 Chapter 40 Residential Landlord And Tenant Act - www.scstatehouse.gov-LPITS (http://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/t27c040.htm - broken link)
Scroll down to Article 3 and start from there.
I can't thank you enough. Your most kind, thank you!
Al
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