Housing issues / eviction

Since you asked about renting an apartment without a credit rating/score, I wanted to give you some general information on this topic. In many states, landlords might run credit checks in order to determine a potential renter’s past history of paying bills/debts/loans, as well as the timeliness of those payments. However, for people who may not have a credit score/history or who may have negative items on a credit report, there are sometimes alternative arrangements that potential renters can make with landlords. I am not sure about your specific situation or the laws that might apply in STATE, but some examples in general are that a landlord might accept payment of multiple months’ rent (or even a full year’s rent) up front as a way for the renter to show that s/he is trustworthy. In other instances, a potential renter might be able to have another person with a good credit history and/or proof of a higher income co-sign a lease or even serve as a “guarantor” in the event that the renter signing the lease defaults on his/her payments. There also may be alternative ways to show a history of financial reliability if a person does not have a credit history – for example, a person could request a letter from a utilities agency stating that s/he has paid their utility bill on-time for a certain number of months or years. I am not sure whether or not these examples are applicable to your situation, but if you want specific advice, you could contact a free or paid attorney who specializes in housing issues (link to free and paid lawyers is here: LINK).