Is it Possible to Get an Apartment Even With a Criminal Record?
Most apartments now conduct background checks as a standard procedure when screening tenants. This is part of an effort to ensure that the existing tenants of that community are well protected. Apartments also screen potential tenants in order to be consistent in their anti-discrimination rental and leasing policies. In recent times, this practice of conducting background checks has spiked, partly due to the demand for apartments (stemming from the foreclosure epidemic) and also due to the security-conscious environment since September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. If you have a criminal conviction, it may be harder for you to be approved for an apartment but there are steps you can take to increase your chances of being approved. We do not offer any guarantees that you will be approved, but if you exercise the steps above, there are chances that you can get approved.
If you have a criminal record and are looking for an apartment, the first thing you need to do is find out what that record says. This means finding out what data firms the apartments use to request criminal information. Now, there are dozens out there so it is hard for you to pinpoint which one they use. The best ways is to contact your local courts. Or you can also do a Google search on background check companies and see what comes up. If you fill you can trust them then you can sign up and download your profile. In short, you have to know what people know about you.
The next step is to prepare a report in writing, in your own words, detailing the events that led to you having a criminal record. You should include this report with your rental application. This report shows your sincerity and also informs the apartment manager that the incident is in your past and you have turned a new leaf. Sometimes, people have been victims of identity theft and their criminal record is a mistake. If this is the case, then you can clear this up with your local District Attorney’s office.
Another way of getting an apartment if you have a criminal record is to look for private apartments. These are apartments that are owned by individuals and not corporations. Individual-owned apartments do not conduct background checks although some do. It is also easier to deal with an individual than a corporation. Explain your situation. In many cases, the landlord is only interested in whether you can pay rent. Church LED Screen