Credit Reports permalink
- Annual Credit Report
- A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act
- Credit Reports: Washington State Office of the Attorney General
Credit is one of the primary issues that landlords consider when screening tenants. If you know that you have credit problems, or if you find yourself paying numerous costly credit check fees to apartment buildings, you can take a copy of your credit report to the landlord when you look at the apartment and show them any blemishes that appear. Landlords do not have to accept your copy of the credit report, but you can explain what happened to your credit and what you are doing to clear up the problem. It’s a good idea to have a complete rental résumé, including employment information, references from previous landlords, supervisors, social workers and other community members, such as pastors. This can be especially important if you have credit issues or blemishes in your rental history. If you have bad credit you may be able to offer an additional deposit or a shorter lease to move in. For a complete discussion of tenant screening issues, see Tenant Screening.