How Can You Rent an Apartment With a Felony?

Finding an apartment with a felony conviction is not impossible.

Rebuilding your life after being convicted of a felony can be daunting. Among the challenges you may face are seeking adequate employment and/or housing. The housing situation may be particularly frustrating because there are some places that are very strict when dealing with a convicted person. The type of crime you committed as well as the time elapsed since the conviction will play a large role. Crimes related to violence, sex or drugs committed within the past five to 10 years are the ones that will pose the greatest challenge.

Instructions

1. Be honest. The worst thing you can do is lie on an application. Be upfront with the prospective landlord and let him know right away what is different about you. If you lie and the landlord or manger finds out, in most cases that warrants an automatic denial.

2. Be prepared to spend more money. In some states, the landlord may require a larger security deposit or even a higher rate of rent for the first six months to a year to deter a felon from renting from her. However, if those terms are accepted by the felon, this gives the property owner more of an assurance of acceptable behavior.

3. Seek private owners. Private property owners and owners of smaller properties may be more lenient in regard to giving you a chance to prove yourself. Search the newspaper or maybe even post a notice on the church bulletin board that you are looking for a new place.

4. Explore the possibility of having your record expunged. In some states if the crime was committed long enough ago and you satisfactorily met the terms of probation or parole, expunging your record may be a possibility although it may be expensive.

References

• Pheonix Criminal Attorneys: Finding an Apratment in Miami with a Broken Lease, Felony or Bad Credit
• Awaken Acapella: Felonies and Apartments in Dallas

Resources

• Bad Credit Apartments