For your protection, we must verify your identity before providing your credit report. When you order your free report here you begin your free trial membership in Triple Advantage Credit Monitoring. If you don't cancel your membership within the 7 day trial period, you'll be billed $12 each month you continue membership. The offer is not related to the free credit report you're entitled to under Federal law. To obtain that report go to annualcreditreport.com

Renting a Home

Avoiding More Debt with Credit Report Management

If you're considering renting a home, there are many advantages in today's market; you're not stuck in the same neighborhood if you need to move for work or personal reasons, if you get a good deal on a rental you can save money towards purchasing a home, and in bad markets you don't lose equity.

However, if you want to rent a home, you'll still need to fill out an application and your credit history will still need to be examined. Any rental agency, be they government or private, will check your credit rating when you fill out an application for renting a home; after all, no landlord wants to lose money should someone with a poor credit history fail to make their rental payments.

But there are still many things you can do when you're interested in renting a home, and don't have the best credit. First of all, dress as if you are going to a job interview. Making a good impression will help to establish you as a responsible person.

Offering the landlord more money than they are asking often helps renters with bad credit too, and having your credit history with you is a big plus. Perhaps one of the best things you can do is to take control of your finances through debt management and credit monitoring; be sure to get copies of your credit report from all 3 major credit reporting bureaus to check for errors or suspicious activity, like identity theft.

Credit counselors, credit advocates, and lenders alike repeatedly emphasize how important it is for people to keep current with their credit scores. By taking control of your finances, you'll prove to your prospective landlord that renting a home to you is a smart and safe decision. Get your credit report and begin taking control of your financial future today; we're betting you will glad you gave us a try!