Apartment Application Fees

Hi Everyone!

Knowing what application fees you will have to pay in order to get the apartment you want is a requirement at all times, but many don't pay attention to if these apartment application fees will be refunded if the application isn't approved. Best way to avoid getting upset, because you applied to the apartment complex you wanted to move-in but didn't get approved would be to know before you fill out the application what application fees will be refunded if you don't get approved. Majority of apartment complexes have apartment application fees that have to be paid with the application, and these are;

• Application Fee
• Administration Fee
• Security Deposit

Depending on where you're applying it would be wise to know if you will get back some of this money if you aren't approved before you apply. Some apartments will refund back your security deposit, while keep your application fee and administration fee, while other apartment complexes will not refund back anything if they had a special offering $0 move-in deposit, but you may of paid $200 in application fees and administration fees. Conclusion is to just know this upfront before you apply, so you won't be upset if for example you applied and the total application fee cost was $400, and you get the call you aren't approved, and you're only receiving back $200 or even told receiving back $0. Nobody wants to lose money while applying, while also getting their credit hit, because of the apartment complex pulling the credit and making a 2 year hard inquiry reducing their credit score. So my point is don't keep applying to apartment complexes with applications, and not knowing beforehand what you mayn't receive back. Best advice would be if you've already made this mistake, go ahead and allow the apartment complex to explain why you were not approved, and then take this valuable information, and know to be prepared next time to apply to the apartment complex that will consider your situation, and yes these kinds of apartment complexes are out their and available, if you fit into their "specific second chance criteria". Some examples of "second chance apartment complexes" are,

1. Felons
2. Misdemeanors
3. Broken leases
4. Evictions
5. 1st time renters
6. No credit
7. Bad credit

These examples listed 1-7 may get rejected by regular apartment complexes, but second chance apartment complexes would consider these if you fit into their "specific criteria" that does pass against these particular issues. Key is knowing where to apply, and where not to apply with these particular issues.

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Apartment Applications

Hi Everyone!

It's critical you understand when you're apartment hunting/searching for your apartment, you're not just filling out every application at the apartments you like, hoping one of them will accept you. Doing this will affect your credit score even worse since every time you apply to a different apartment complex, your credit is pulled and a hard inquiry will appear on your credit report for 2 years from each of those apartments. It maybe quite difficult trying to narrow down apartments you like to just have one that you apply too, but to avoid getting your credit pulled by each apartment each time you apply it would be best to;

• Tour the apartments 
• Know what is available
• Know if the apartment complex fits in your budget max with knowing ALL the unit's bill expenses required to function appropriately in the apartment (lights, water, pest, insurance, etc.)
• Ask yourself can you see yourself committing to this apartment complex for 6 months or more in a lease without regretting you should have picked the other one. If you're stalling with a yes or no still, then it would be wise to not apply to the application, until you have a 100% yes for your top one

After you analyze those criteria's with your top three or even top two, then you will be able to decide which one will be the top one, and then apply to only that apartment complex. Applying to an apartment complex doesn't have to be complex, if you remember this tip each time before you apply.

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Moving Out of Your Apartment

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to touch up on understanding how important it is in leaving your apartment in a clean condition, if not going renew. When you do your move-in walk-thru with the property manager/landlord they show you the property in its move-in clean condition, and then ask you to fill out the "Inventory & Condition" form. You're responsible for making any notes on this form about the apartment units current condition you will be leasing, and getting it back to them immediately signed and dated. If you decide to not renew, it would be a wise move to go ahead and restore you're apartment unit back in it's condition it was in when you moved in it which was clean. Doing this will prevent you from being held liable from any damages that the property manager/landlord may notice that weren't listed when you filled out the form when moved-in. Understand this real estate tip, and it will continue to help you along the many journey's you may have when deciding to rent an apartment. So remember your check list when moving out as:

• Remember to understand what you wrote on the "Inventory & Condition" form when moved-in will be used against you when move out by the property manager/landlord, so fill out wisely, since they will be comparing their move out notes against your move in notes.
• Make sure to clean apartment & restore back to it's original form.
• Return the keys, and head to your next apartment if that's what you've chosen to do.

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Renting An Apartment For The First Time?

Hi Everyone!

Are you apartment hunting, and realizing this will be your first apartment? Understand during your apartment searching you will need to seek someone experienced in helping assist you with this special kind of apartment searching. You will lack rental history, and this criteria category is one of the criteria's you will have to pass in order to move forward with your application. Keep in mind you won't be instantly rejected if your applying to apartment complexes that will consider your particular situation, but understand you may have to have some of these are all of these as conditions met in order to meet their guidelines for the lack of rental history, and these substitutions maybe;

• A higher security deposit
• More rent payments paid in advanced
• Co-signor

knowing this beforehand will prevent the headache of you getting instantly rejected, because you weren't informed the rental history plays a major key role in approving a rental application. 

I also love referrals so anyone you know needing a Texas apartment to lease, refer them this apartment locator blog, and I will really appreciate it.

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What Bills Do You Pay When Renting An Apartment?

Hi Everyone!

When apartment hunting and searching, unless you're seeking an apartment with "All Utilities Paid" you will have bills beyond rent. Bills you will have to pay that are required to move in the apartment are;

• Renters insurance
• Light bill
• Water bill
• Pest bill

optional bills that you may incur renting the apartment are;

• Parking fees
• Cable bill
• Landline bill
• Pet deposit

Always calculate your expenses before you move in the apartment so you won't be surprised if your rent is $1400 and all of a sudden you didn't factor in the other bills listed and you're now at $2,000 just to live their. No one wants an alligator apartment, which is an apartment attacking you with expenses you can't really afford with the rent, and therefore will continue to bite you until you break lease or get evicted. Don't let this alligator metaphor put you in such positions, always factor in before apartment search, by pre-calculating expenses before moving in the apartment would be;

1. Application fees
2. Security deposit
3. Administration fees
4. Possible 1st months rent or more
5. Pet deposit if have pets

sometimes apartment complexes will waive these particular apartment fees listed from 1-3 if they're running specials, so always analyze and double check. 

So inconclusion the apartment bills you will be paying on top of rent would be renters insurance, lights, water, and pests. These bills are required by the majority of the apartment complexes seeking tenants if their not a "All Bills Paid" apartment complex. 

I also love referrals so anyone you know needing a Texas apartment to lease, refer them this apartment locator blog, and I will really appreciate it.

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Tips For Renting An Apartment

Hi Everyone!

If you're out looking for an apartment, here are some criteria tips you should always be aware of;

1. Job
2. Credit
3. Rental
4. Background

These criteria tips that are being listed are the main criteria's apartment complexes analyze when you're wanting to lease one of their apartment units. Lacking any of these will either cost you a higher security deposit or a rejected application. Apartments want you working and producing some kind of proven stable income from your job like pay check stubs is a excellent source. You will need some kind of credit on your credit report so your score will factor in to show how you pay your bills. Apartments want to see some kind of rental background, to see if you have been living somewhere else on a signed lease, and paying rent on time. Apartment complexes will run background checks to check for misdemeanors, bankruptcies evictions, and felonies. If you have experienced anything negative related to any of the criteria tips I've listed, it would be wise to immediately change your approach on how to go about searching for your apartment, and seek experienced apartment help. If you're on non wage income like or receiving rental assistance;

• Retirement
• Disability
• Spousal Support
• Self-Employed
• Section 8

you can still rent an apartment but you have to make sure you follow the guidelines of the apartment complexes income and rental housing assistance criteria in order to be able to use this income or rental assistance instead of job income if you don't have a W-2 source. So to conclude, always have a plan before you apartment hunt on keeping these criteria tips on hand at all times, and by asking yourself "Do I lack any of these"? If you do, then you need to plan accordingly on either handling them with solutions or realizing you will need a higher security deposit or get rejected. Apartment searching can be fun, and doesn't have to be complex the key on your journey is to find apartments that will accept your particular situation, and allow you the chance to rent their apartment you seek.

I also love referrals so anyone you know needing a Texas apartment to lease, refer them this apartment locator blog, and I will really appreciate it.

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Apartment Eviction Or Broken Lease?

Hi Everyone!

When searching for another apartment if you're deciding too move, because you had a eviction or broken lease occur, know which one you incurred on your credit report, before you apply to the new apartment complex. In prior post I've mentioned their are apartment complexes out their that give 2nd chances to certain kinds of evictions and broken leases, and these apartments require you to fit into their criteria to even consider you, and if you happen to fit, know beforehand you even doing the application if you're asked what happened was it a broken lease or eviction? You will know the difference, evictions are you not cooperating by not paying rent but still remining on the landlords property, until they have to get a court order to remove you out, while broken leases you leave on your own, and the landlord isn't court ordering you to move out. Both of these apartment issues are reported on the credit report as negative issues, and will be on your credit report for 7 years. So if you're lucky an locate another apartment that gives you a second chance with a broken lease or eviction on record, best thing to do is be upfront and know way beforehand which one you've encountered. As a apartment locator I've indeed run into some prospects not knowing if their situation was a eviction or broken lease, because of their landlord misguiding them by saying it was a broken lease, but then all of a sudden the new apartment complex runs the credit and background check and sees it recorded as a eviction. So if you got on your mind having to break a lease or you are already getting evicted, best thing to do is monitor your credit before you reapply anywhere else and realize which one you're being faced against, because it's better to know as I keep mentioning before you apply to the new place to save a even bigger headache from a let down, meaning for example being turned away because the apartment complex you like is only accepting certain kinds of broken leases, but you discover you're broken lease is actually a eviction that went not noticed because of possibly ignoring it, or not being contacted by the courts because of a bad address since you possibly moved. Now what you've encountered is a waste by having your credit ran first which will remain as a hard inquiry for 2 years, then 2nd you possibly missed out on another apartment complex that was considering evictions like yours, but their units got leased quickly, because you were messing around wasting time on the other one, you got denied on, all because of not being prepared before they were contacted in the first place. So conclusion with this post is don't get tangled up in a back/forth let down situation, by applying to wrong apartments when looking for 2nd chance apartments considering evictions or broken leases, because of you not knowing if you have a broken lease or a eviction on record. If many of you are confused about how to go about finding out their are plenty of solutions out their allowing you to view your credit for free. Some possible ways are:

1. Ordering a free copy of your credit report from Transunion, or Experian or Equifax
2. Signing up with CreditWise which is free from Capital One and allows you to monitor your credit for free by supplying you a summary on what's on your Transunion credit report, and even alerts you when something good or bad happens to your credit report. 
3. Signing up with American Express MyCreditGuide which is free and also gives you a summary and alerts from your credit report.

As I speak I'm signed up with Capital One CreditWise and American Express MyCreditGuide, and their free and honestly I've never had any issues with either and they truly are a excellent form of free monitoring for your credit. I highly recommend both, and have been using both for over 5+ years now. 

I also love referrals so anyone you know needing a Texas apartment to lease, refer them this blog, and I will really appreciate it.

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Apartment Security Deposit

Hi Everyone!

When looking for an apartment make sure you ask if your security deposit will change if you have; 

• No credit
• Bad credit
• No rental history
• Will be needing a co-signor

Majority of these apartment issues will require a bigger security deposit of some sort, and knowing before you apply to the apartment will help you even more, so you don't end up being surprised after your credit is ran, and during your application in process your told you need too have much more security deposit required in order to move forward and get the application approved for move-in. Other apartment issues that will require more security deposits from you would be;

• Evictions
• Broken leases

Majority of apartments will reject you if you have a broken lease or eviction, but others will give you a 2nd chance if you fit into their criteria for these issues. So this needs to be also taken into consideration if you have a broken lease or eviction. If the apartment you locate just happens to see you fit in their criteria for the evictions or broken leases for a 2nd chance, be prepared for possibly more security deposit in order to move-in. So key is to have this information about security deposits before you apply, and it will eliminate a possible headache if you realize it mayn't be worth moving in, if one apartment complex you like says a lower security deposit is required, versus another one you like saying a much higher security deposit is required for the same apartment issues.

I also love referrals so anyone you know needing a Texas apartment to lease, refer them this blog, and I will really appreciate it. 

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Does Renting An Apartment Affect Your Credit?

Hi Everyone,

When renting an apartment, it will affect your credit if you break the lease, get evicted, or you do the rental application and the apartment complex pulls your credit which does affect the credit score because of showing up as a hard inquiry for 2 years. Majority of landlords don't report your apartment history on your credit report unless its something negative. Your apartment rental history actually shows up on the rental application under the rental history. So in conclusion renting an apartment will only affect your credit if you:

• Break a lease
• Get evicted
• Do rental applications

All those examples can be avoided by not breaking your lease, getting evicted, and minimizing your credit being pulled too only applying to the apartment complex you plan too move into. Focusing on a good rental history for your apartment will in return provide a good rental history on your application, since the landlord will have it checked when they contact your prior landlords. When they run your credit too check for negative issues, you won't have too worry if you weren't evicted or broke your lease. As I mentioned before the broken leases and evictions will affect your credit, and will actually remain on the credit report for 7 years here in Texas. So avoiding broken leases and evictions is the key too not having your credit affected by the apartment your renting.

I also love referrals so anyone you know needing a Texas apartment to lease, refer them this blog, and I will really appreciate it.

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