My friend and i were going to get an apartment together but she doesn't think she will pass a credit check?

Question

I have great credit but my potential roomie said she hasn't had a credit card in the past 5 years, she prefers to use cash.

They said we both have to pass a credit check- we both have good jobs & are well over the income requirement.

Should I only put my name on the lease to start and then see in a few months if we can get her to move in? Or do you think we should just try to see what happens and submit a letter or something explaining her credit score? 10 points to the best answer!!!

Answer 1

Why not request her credit score yourselves. In most places you have the right to know it and it is usually obtained by a simple call to the local credit bureau.

It might even be available online where you are.

An article from Canada

http://www.canadaone.com/ezine/may05/con...

Answer 2

If you are the person responsible for the lease and she is just a person you are living with You are the only person who needs to pass a credit check to pay the rent.

It all depends on how much you trust your room mate as relationships erode slowly and at the end of a year you may no longer be compatible.

I think you need to rent the place on your own and let her live with you and pay you the rent. That way if things get messy you can kick her out.

Answer 3

Having no credit means your friend has excellent credit.  If she didn't pay her bills, she would have bad credit.  A smart landlord would see that.  She doesn't need a credit card.

Judge Judy says you should only rent what you can afford to pay by yourself.  Have you seen the 100 questions here at Yahoo from roommates who have lost their roommate to "true love" or "job loss"?  They wish they had never agreed to the rent in the first place.

If you do trust your friend not to desert you,  put both names on the lease with the credit letter.

Answer 4

She needs to pass a credit check regardless of when she moves in.   Her score will be good or blank, but blank will pass if yours is good.

Answer 5

If you get a place by yourself you are likely to end up as the only one there, paying the entire rent, without your roommate ever really trying to move in.  If renting together is the way you want to go, and there is some doubt about whether she will pass (but she might) why not just go ahead and put in the application together and see what they say (you will lose an application fee, but thats about it).  If they say no, you can still go ahead and re-apply by yourself, but if they say yes then you are golden.  Anyhow, I can't see any reason at all (beyond the aplication fee) not to both apply for the place and see what happens (but if your friend is completely against this, then this could be a sign that her credit is actually really bad, maybe alot worse than she is saying, and that you just need to go on alone).

PS - Frozen Vegtables makes a great point, just have her go request a free credit report (can get one free on every year) and see what it says.  From that you can probably get a good idea if she would be accepted or not.