And keep in mind that you can rent with bad credit in some cases.
#Apartment hunting s hard for free#
Pulling your own report doesn’t hurt your rating in fact, you are entitled to pull your credit history from each credit bureau for free once a year. If an apartment is going to do a hard credit pull and you’re concerned about the effect it would have on your credit score, ask the landlord if they will accept a copy of your credit report that you pulled yourself. What if the apartment wants to do a hard credit check? Because the process may vary between apartment communities, however, it’s best to ask up front what the standard procedure for credit checks is when you turn in your application.
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Though every apartment community is different, in most cases a landlord will only request a soft check. Which kind of credit check does an apartment request? A hard check will affect your FICO score. If you apply for a loan or a credit card, for example, you may be subject to a hard check. So hard checks are usually only done in connection with financial transactions. The only result is that this request will show up on your credit history it should not affect your FICO score at all.Ī hard check happens when someone pulls your credit report because you’re applying for credit with them. What’s the difference between hard and soft credit checks?Īlso called “hard inquiries” and “soft inquiries,” these checks are requested by apartments in order to see what your credit is like.Ī soft check is a request to pull your credit report for viewing. But what happens when they actually go to check that report? Because landlords are trying to find out whether you would be a reliable renter, they look at your report for things like debt, consistency, predictability, and your previous rental history.
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Whatever the size of the apartment you’re applying for-from efficiency to two-bedroom apartments to lofts-you’ll probably have to undergo a credit check when you submit your application.