A man’s home is his castle. Castle or not, you’re going to be living under a bridge if you commit the 10 Ways to Get Your Application Denied:
1. Don’t pay your bills.
Maybe the landlord will understand about the medical bills being delinquent – who could have planned for that? But what about the credit card payments, the cell phone and the utility bills? You knew those were coming and those accounts will show up on your credit report.
2. Burn your past landlord.
A great landlord reference can help overcome other sins, like some delinquent medical bills. A bad landlord reference is a deal breaker.
3. Leave plenty of blanks on the application.
Don’t remember that former Waupun apartment landlord’s phone number? Your new prospective landlord may assume you didn’t put it down because you burned that landlord.
4. Lie about stuff.
Past employers, addresses and other information all shows up on the credit report your landlord is likely to run. It’s not good if your application is not consistent with the credit report.
5. Forget to sign your application.
Your signature is also permission to check your background and talk to employers and landlords. Without it, your application can’t be processed.
6. Demonstrate a spotty record of employment.
Rent comes due every month. If that’s about as often as you change jobs, this is just not going to work.
7. Refuse to have your parents co-sign.
Even your Mom won’t back you. Do you see a problem here?
8. Commit plenty of crimes.
Hey, aren’t Bonnie and Clyde still famous? They may be famous, but they’re also dead. They don’t need an apartment. You do. So keep it clean.
9. Be a sex offender.
Yuck! Here is the Wisconsin sex offender registry.
10. Get evicted.
There’s nothing like settling your relationship with your past landlord with a judge present to persuade your next landlord that a leper would be a better choice.
If you haven’t done any of these things before, renting a Pewaukee or Waupun apartment will be much easier.