How To Find An Apartment With A Felony On Your Record

There’s no need to feel down if you need to find an apartment and have a felony on your record. Even though your options may be more limited, they do exist. And thanks to the Internet, you can start finding those options rather quickly.

How to Find Apartments That Accept Felons

To make your apartment search as fruitful as possible, you must think of the best path to bypassing a background check. It’s that check, after all, that can reveal a felony and cause a landlord or management company to reject your application.

Besides finding a place in the area you need that also fits your budget, finding one that doesn’t require a background check should be your number one goal. Here are some tips that may help you bypass that part of the application process:

1. Be flexible with location.

Can living in the middle of a city make it easier to commute to work? Of course, it can, but city living can also make it harder to find a felon-friendly apartment.

You can blame much of this on demand. Many people need to live in big cities for work and convenience, and this increased demand gives landlords and management companies more power to be selective.

If you can live farther away from the city, you can find properties where demand is low. With that lower demand often comes fewer restrictions and a higher probability of finding a place despite having a felony in your past.

Another benefit besides bypassing background checks and demanding landlords is that smaller towns are often more affordable. This can be a huge plus if you’re just starting to get your life together, and every penny counts.

On the flip side, you don’t want to move too far away from work. The need for a car or other transportation costs could take a big bite out of your budget.

2. Look for specific types of properties.

Demand for certain types of housing is higher than others. For instance, you may have an easier time finding a place as a felon by renting out a single room or a basement as opposed to an entire apartment.

Remember this when searching websites for felon-friendly properties. Some may give you the option to look for shared housing and rooms, in addition to entire apartments.

While you may find a felon-friendly apartment, it’s best to avoid properties listed in huge buildings, as they tend to be run by strict management companies that seek solid credit along with background checks from prospective tenants.

3. Deal with private landlords.

If the site you’re using lets you pick properties according to who runs them, always aim for landlords instead of management companies.
You’re much likelier to find leniency there.

4. Don’t waste your time.

If an application says they require background checks, don’t fill it out. Read the fine print so you don’t waste your time applying to places that probably won’t accept you. Instead, dedicate your time to places like basements, single rooms, and properties run by private landlords that are usually more flexible in their ways.

5. Know where to look.

Here are some of the best places to begin your search for a felon-friendly property:

• Craigslist
• Trovit
• Zumper
• Yelp
• Zillow

The ones near the top of the list are usually more felon-friendly. You can narrow down results by searching for phrases such as “no background check” and “felon-friendly.”