11 ms·

As a non-US person moving to SF later this year, I don't have a US credit rating yet. How do I go about looking for places?

georgieporgie 14y ago
You probably look to rent in Oakland instead. Rockridge and Lake Merritt are very nice areas (Rockridge being my preference, as there seems to be less property crime, and I lived there for six years).
steve8918 14y ago
It's going to be very tough because you will be competing against a ton of people with a US credit rating. The best chance is to go with a larger apartment rental company like Avalon that has the capacity to check a foreign country. You will pay a lot more, but that's likely your best bet. If you have a hard time getting a place, you should also strongly consider places outside of SF.
gatsby 14y ago
I'd recommend either finding a sublet or a group of people with an existing lease who are seeking a new roommate. This will give you some time to build your credit score and learn the neighborhoods before you sign your own lease.
bishnu 14y ago
It's not that hard. I just did it and didn't have a problem. Bring proof of employment (offer letter) and be prepared to pay a higher deposit.
- husted 14y ago
  That's what I did back in 2000 when I moved to SF. Also be prepared to pay a deposit on utilities. My biggest issue turned out to be cellphones where I had to go pre-paid. Not sure if this is still the case.
  - jarek 14y ago
    My partner has had Comcast flat out refuse to offer internet service in Seattle because of lack of credit history. Qwest/CenturyLink didn't seem to mind quite as much.
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
encoderer 14y ago
1) No credit is way better than bad credit. 2) Get a secured credit card so you at least have a file when they run your credit check. I'm sure you can find guides on how best to do this as a foreign citizen. If you don't have family or close friends here you could be out of luck. But if you do, you could easily have the card shipped to them and allow them to use it for things occasionally to help you get a credit rating. US Credit ratings (FICO scores) are heavily weighted on revolving (credit card) accounts, not so much installment accounts, so don't worry about those. Doing these things will help you immeasurably. Pulling credit is as much about identity verification as it is credit risk. If you can't, remember: There are a TON of people with bad credit everywhere. They're not homeless. You will just have to be tenacious about it.
- WildUtah 14y ago
  >>No credit is way better than bad credit.<< When you are trying to rent an apartment, yes. If you are trying to buy a cell phone or get a Mastercard or buy a car or a house, it's just the opposite: there's nothing worse than no credit.
  - encoderer 14y ago
    Respectfully, I disagree. If you have no credit, you can get a secured credit card and have a 650-700 fico in a few months. You'll have a thin file so don't expect a mortgage or anything, but in a year or two even that will be no problem. Bad credit? You can do a lot to clean it up before the 7 years are up, but ive seen this in my own family and it's really a waiting game for bad entries to age off your report. And anecdotally, which would you prefer to lend to: somebody with no track record, knowing the average American has a 650+ credit score, or somebody who has bad credit and a proven history of not repaying obligations. It is subjective though, and ymmv.
    - WildUtah 14y ago
      I have no credit report, in spite of living 35 years in the USA. My friends with bad credit and bankruptcies can buy cell phones, rent expensive things, get apartments, get mortgages, and deal with other life activities much more easily than I can. So there's your answer: you'd rather lend money to the known deadbeat than someone with no credit history.
adi92 14y ago
I had the same problem a year ago. For the apartments you really like, send in a cover letter with your application explaining your situation and offering more references and a larger deposit. I was really desperate and even put in my resume into the application (which had a bunch of fancy sounding NLP/CS terms). Ended up getting a studio in Pacific Heights.
transitorykris 14y ago
I did this in October 2008 so the economic climate was radically different. But, a property management company did accept a copy of my Canadian Equifax report and my offer letter. Get your credit established as soon as you can, easiest was a secured credit card.
zem 14y ago
I had the same problem. I eventually got a place by (a) having a good offer letter in hand and (b) agreeing to sign a two year lease. Oh, and I had already agreed (along with a few other applicants) to an extra $100/mo over the original price quoted on craigslist. It was the 2 year lease that tipped the balance for me, since I assume anyone who didn't have the credit history disadvantage turned that down flat.
usaar333 14y ago
I could be wrong, but I suspect if you offer to pre-pay for an entire year you should be in the clear.
mahyarm 14y ago
-Citibank has a immigrant credit card with proof of employment, ~$3000 ish in a US bank account for ~3months OR ~$5000 in a non us account for 5 months, and an SSN. It gives a good credit limit. -Capital One has a 'newcommer' card that gives a $500 limit with any near blank new SSN online, instantly. -Bank of america has one for canadians, most retail bankers don't know about it. The one by stanford mall did.

georgieporgie 14y ago

You probably look to rent in Oakland instead. Rockridge and Lake Merritt are very nice areas (Rockridge being my preference, as there seems to be less property crime, and I lived there for six years).

steve8918 14y ago

It's going to be very tough because you will be competing against a ton of people with a US credit rating. The best chance is to go with a larger apartment rental company like Avalon that has the capacity to check a foreign country. You will pay a lot more, but that's likely your best bet. If you have a hard time getting a place, you should also strongly consider places outside of SF.

gatsby 14y ago

I'd recommend either finding a sublet or a group of people with an existing lease who are seeking a new roommate. This will give you some time to build your credit score and learn the neighborhoods before you sign your own lease.

bishnu 14y ago

It's not that hard. I just did it and didn't have a problem. Bring proof of employment (offer letter) and be prepared to pay a higher deposit.

husted 14y ago
That's what I did back in 2000 when I moved to SF. Also be prepared to pay a deposit on utilities. My biggest issue turned out to be cellphones where I had to go pre-paid. Not sure if this is still the case.
- jarek 14y ago
  My partner has had Comcast flat out refuse to offer internet service in Seattle because of lack of credit history. Qwest/CenturyLink didn't seem to mind quite as much.

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

encoderer 14y ago

1) No credit is way better than bad credit. 2) Get a secured credit card so you at least have a file when they run your credit check. I'm sure you can find guides on how best to do this as a foreign citizen. If you don't have family or close friends here you could be out of luck. But if you do, you could easily have the card shipped to them and allow them to use it for things occasionally to help you get a credit rating. US Credit ratings (FICO scores) are heavily weighted on revolving (credit card) accounts, not so much installment accounts, so don't worry about those. Doing these things will help you immeasurably. Pulling credit is as much about identity verification as it is credit risk. If you can't, remember: There are a TON of people with bad credit everywhere. They're not homeless. You will just have to be tenacious about it.

WildUtah 14y ago
>>No credit is way better than bad credit.<< When you are trying to rent an apartment, yes. If you are trying to buy a cell phone or get a Mastercard or buy a car or a house, it's just the opposite: there's nothing worse than no credit.
- encoderer 14y ago
  Respectfully, I disagree. If you have no credit, you can get a secured credit card and have a 650-700 fico in a few months. You'll have a thin file so don't expect a mortgage or anything, but in a year or two even that will be no problem. Bad credit? You can do a lot to clean it up before the 7 years are up, but ive seen this in my own family and it's really a waiting game for bad entries to age off your report. And anecdotally, which would you prefer to lend to: somebody with no track record, knowing the average American has a 650+ credit score, or somebody who has bad credit and a proven history of not repaying obligations. It is subjective though, and ymmv.
  - WildUtah 14y ago
    I have no credit report, in spite of living 35 years in the USA. My friends with bad credit and bankruptcies can buy cell phones, rent expensive things, get apartments, get mortgages, and deal with other life activities much more easily than I can. So there's your answer: you'd rather lend money to the known deadbeat than someone with no credit history.

adi92 14y ago

I had the same problem a year ago. For the apartments you really like, send in a cover letter with your application explaining your situation and offering more references and a larger deposit. I was really desperate and even put in my resume into the application (which had a bunch of fancy sounding NLP/CS terms). Ended up getting a studio in Pacific Heights.

transitorykris 14y ago

I did this in October 2008 so the economic climate was radically different. But, a property management company did accept a copy of my Canadian Equifax report and my offer letter. Get your credit established as soon as you can, easiest was a secured credit card.

zem 14y ago

I had the same problem. I eventually got a place by (a) having a good offer letter in hand and (b) agreeing to sign a two year lease. Oh, and I had already agreed (along with a few other applicants) to an extra $100/mo over the original price quoted on craigslist. It was the 2 year lease that tipped the balance for me, since I assume anyone who didn't have the credit history disadvantage turned that down flat.

usaar333 14y ago

I could be wrong, but I suspect if you offer to pre-pay for an entire year you should be in the clear.

mahyarm 14y ago

-Citibank has a immigrant credit card with proof of employment, ~$3000 ish in a US bank account for ~3months OR ~$5000 in a non us account for 5 months, and an SSN. It gives a good credit limit. -Capital One has a 'newcommer' card that gives a $500 limit with any near blank new SSN online, instantly. -Bank of america has one for canadians, most retail bankers don't know about it. The one by stanford mall did.