 TITLE: What Do Landlords Look For in a Tenant? CONTENT: Good Credit\n-----------\nA landlord may check your credit to get a sense of how responsible you are with debt and payments. Among the information in your credit report landlords find useful:\n*   Overall debt amounts, including credit card balances, loans and minimum monthly payments\n*   Late bill payments\n*   Past-due accounts\n*   Defaults\n*   Collections\n*   Bankruptcies\nYour credit score also provides a quick indicator of how creditworthy you are, and a higher score may mean you're more likely to be approved for a unit. However, there isn't a magic threshold that separates a good score from a bad one here. The credit score you'll need to rent an apartment can vary quite a bit from city to city, neighborhood to neighborhood, and landlord to landlord. According to rental listing site RENTCafé, the average renter's credit score in 2020 was 638. In dense San Francisco it was 719, while it was 580 in the more suburban Arlington, Texas. Renters in luxury accommodations had higher scores on average than those living in modest units, according to the RENTCafé analysis.\nBefore you start submitting rental applications, check your credit report and score to get an advance read on where you stand. If you find that your scores aren't where you'd like them to be, you can take steps to improve your credit scores.\nIf there's negative information on your credit report, consider these steps to secure an apartment with less-than-perfect credit:\n*   Find a landlord who doesn't check credit. They're rare, but they do exist.\n*   Look for a landlord with credit requirements that are in line with your score and history.\n*   Add a cosigner with good credit to your lease or rental agreement.\n*   Offer more money upfront as a security deposit or advance rent. END