What Credit Score Do You Need to Rent an Apartment?

You found the dream apartment: great location, natural light and maybe even in-unit laundry. But then comes the dreaded question: what credit score do you need to rent an apartment?

While a credit score of 670 or higher generally gives you the best approval odds, the credit score to rent an apartment can vary widely depending on the landlord, property type and location. Even with a lower score, you may still have options.

Trying to level up your score before signing that lease? MoneyLion makes it easy to explore offers from trusted partners — from credit monitoring and dispute tools to building credit just by paying your bills. Because better credit doesn’t just open more doors — it can lower your interest rates and boost your borrowing power, too.

Key Takeaways

• A good credit score to rent an apartment is typically 670 or higher, though minimum requirements vary by landlord, property type and local rental market.

• Landlords review more than your credit score, including income, rental history, employment stability, debt levels and references when evaluating applications.

• Renting with lower credit may still be possible if you can offer proof of steady income, a larger security deposit, a co-signer or strong landlord references.

• Improving payment history and lowering credit utilization before applying can strengthen your rental application and increase approval odds within a few months.

Summary generated by AI, verified by MoneyLion editors

Minimum Credit Score To Rent an Apartment

The minimum credit score to rent an apartment depends on many factors, from your location to the type of property.

Generally speaking, rent should total no more than one-third of your gross monthly income.

For example, you should gross at least $6,000 per month to rent a $2,000/mo. apartment. A lower credit score might require a lower rent-to-income ratio.

What Else Do Landlords Check Besides Credit?

Credit is just one factor of many that landlords look at when reviewing a rental application. If the others are favorable, they help sway a landlord to rent to you even if your credit is damaged.

• Income: Rent should be no more than one-third of your gross monthly income – less if you have damaged credit or significant debt.

• Proof of income or reserves: You’ll need to show consistent, reliable income by providing pay stubs, W-2s, 1099s, checking account statements and/or tax returns. The landlord might also ask to see proof of cash reserves.

• Rental history and evictions: Landlords want to know your rent payment history, the condition of the apartment when you left, and whether you’ve ever been evicted.

• References: References are responsible adults who vouch for the fact that you’re a mature, reliable person the landlord can trust.

How To Rent an Apartment With Low or Bad Credit

A low credit score doesn’t have to keep you from renting an apartment. Follow these steps to present yourself in the best possible light, no matter what your credit situation is.

1. Check your credit report and score: Knowing your score tells you how much of a barrier the score is likely to be. The report helps you identify mistakes and weak spots you might have to explain.

2. List the important information: That includes your Social Security number, employer’s name and contact information and a list of previous rentals, with those landlords’ names and contact information.

3. Gather proof of income: This might include your last few pay stubs, W2s and 1099s for your current employment, checking account statements showing direct deposits and your most recent tax returns.

4. Gather letters of recommendation: Ask responsible people who know you well to write letters. Also, ask previous landlords for references.

5. Find a co-signer: You can seek out a co-signer or guarantor with strong credit and income.

6. Review your savings: You’ll need to determine if you can offer the landlord a larger deposit, if necessary, to help compensate for your credit.

7. Research rental properties: Identify those that are privately owned or that might have more flexible eligibility criteria.

Application Packet Checklist

Having a rental application packet prepared in advance shows landlords you’re serious about renting and helps to ensure you have everything you need to apply. Make several copies to hand out to landlords, and keep a digital copy for your files.

Here’s what to include:

• Government-issued photo ID

• Proof of income

• Letters of recommendation

• Contact information for your co-signer or guarantor

Letter of Explanation

A letter of explanation adds context to a negative credit or rental history. It’s also your opportunity to convince the landlord that it won’t happen again.

Here’s a formula to follow in writing your letter:

• Provide your name and state your desire to rent an apartment in the landlord’s building.

• Write that you’ve had issues in the past that you want to bring to the landlord’s attention.

• State what the issue was. For example, “I had three credit cards with payments that were 60 days past due in 2024.”

• Describe how it happened. Keep the explanation brief and to the point.

• Explain the steps you took to resolve the situation.

• Tell the landlord what you’ve done since then to prevent future issues.

• Reiterate your desire to rent an apartment from the landlord, and thank them for considering your application.

Landlord Credit Checks: Hard or Soft Pull?

Landlords can use either, but most use soft inquiries. Soft inquiries confirm your identity and provide your account and payment history, but no one besides you sees the inquiry on your credit report, and it doesn’t affect your score.

If you’re worried about inquiries impacting your credit, verify the type of pull the landlord uses before you give permission to check your credit.

Understanding Your Credit Score

Credit scoring models like FICO and VantageScore use information from your credit report to determine how risky a borrower you are.

The models categorize and weight the information differently, but both prioritize payment history and the percentage of your total available credit you have outstanding as the first- and second-most important factors.

The following table lists the remaining factors in order from most to least impactful.

TransUnion’s ResidentScore is an alternative to FICO and VantageScores. It uses a tenant’s credit information to predict the likelihood of eviction.

How To Improve Your Credit Score Before Applying

No matter where your credit score is right now, you can take steps to improve it.

In the Next 30 Days

• Order a copy of your credit report to check for errors and outdated information. Request corrections, if necessary

• Set up automatic payments for your bills to ensure on-time payments

• Track all of your spending for the month.

In 30 to 60 Days

• Create a budget that accounts for all of your income and spending. Eliminate non-essential spending to free up cash.

• Use the freed-up cash to build an emergency fund, if you don’t already have one, and pay down your debt until you’re utilizing less than 30%, initially, then 10%, of your credit limits.

In 60 to 90 Days

• Review your budget and make adjustments, if needed.

• Avoid using credit, but don’t close paid-off accounts.

Quick Credit Examples

Credit utilization and income can make or break your rental application, but you need to understand how they work to use them to your advantage.

• Credit utilization compares the amount of credit you’ve used to the total amount of credit you have available.

• A utilization rate of 30% or less is good, and 10% or less is ideal.

Here’s an example of how to calculate it:

• Total credit available: $10,000

• Amount of credit used: $5,000

• 5,000 ÷ 10,000 = 0.50, or 50%

Landlords look at your income in relation to the rent amount using a metric called rent-to-income ratio. Here’s an example of how to calculate it:

• Gross monthly income: $6,000

• Rent: $2,000

• 2,000 ÷ 6,000 = 0.33%

Final Takeaways

• A good credit score of 670 or higher makes a landlord more likely to approve your rental application.

• Landlords also consider income, your rental history and references.

• Private landlords are often more flexible than corporate landlords when it comes to credit requirements

• You can make good progress in increasing your credit score within 90 days.

FAQs

Learn more about credit and apartment rentals with these frequently asked questions.

Can I rent an apartment with a 500 credit score?

Possibly, if you have high income and/or someone to co-sign or guarantee your lease.

Can I rent an apartment with a 600 credit score?

You have a much better chance with a 600 score, but you will still need high income and possibly a co-signer, depending on the landlord and the location.

Is tenant screening a hard inquiry?

It can be, but it’s usually a soft inquiry.

What credit score do most landlords look for?

There’s no universal standard, but your chances are best with a “good” score of 670 or higher.

Does rent reporting help my credit score?

Yes, as long as you pay your rent on time.

Can I rent with no credit?

Yes, but you’ll likely need a co-signer or guarantor.

Key Terms

• Credit utilization: The percentage of your available credit currently in use across credit accounts.

• Co-signer: A person who signs the lease with you and shares legal responsibility for rent payments.

• Guarantor: Someone who agrees to cover rent payments if you can’t pay.

• Soft inquiry: A credit check that doesn’t affect your credit score and is commonly used during tenant screening.

• Rent-to-income ratio: A comparison of monthly rent costs to your gross monthly income used to measure affordability.

Summary generated by AI, verified by MoneyLion editors

Sources

• Chase. 2024. "Letter of Explanation: What is it and when do you need one?"

• Zillow. 2025. "Does Applying for an Apartment Hurt Your Credit?"

• Federal Trade Commission. "Tenant Background Checks and Your Rights."

Stephen Milioti contributed to the reporting for this article.