How can I get a apartment at 18 with no credit?
Emma Jordan
Published Mar 10, 2026
7 Tips for Getting an Apartment Without Credit
- Rent from an individual owner.
- Offer to move in right away.
- Prove income or savings balance.
- Pay a few months’ rent upfront as a security deposit.
- Provide reference letters.
- Offer to start out month-to-month.
- If all else fails, get a co-signer.
How do you get around income requirements?
Below you will find five tried-and-true ways to work around strict qualifications for a rental agreement:
- Take Advantage of Your Good Credit.
- Find Yourself a Co-Signer.
- Get a Statement from Your Bank.
- Consider Offering a Higher Security Deposit.
- Take Advantage of Networking.
- Search for Already-Occupied Shares.
Can you pass a credit check with no credit history?
If you don’t have a credit report, you won’t have a credit score. Most credit scoring models need at least one or two active credit accounts to generate a credit score. Having a strong credit score is key to being able to access low-cost credit when you need it.
What happens if you don’t make 3x the rent?
If you are debt-free take advantage of it: if you don’t earn three times the rent but you are debt-free you can talk your landlord into taking in consideration that you don’t have any debt bills to pay, which means that you have to use less money of your income to get by.
What does making 3x the rent mean?
First, let’s understand that the 3x rule (monthly income must be at least three times the monthly rent) is a measure of affordability; a tenant who cannot afford the rent for the unit is an eviction waiting to happen at some future point, so the landlord does not want things to get to that point.
Why would an apartment deny me?
If you applied to an apartment where the rent was more than 30 percent of your gross income, the apartment community could deny you. If the income listed on your rental application doesn’t match verification sources (for example, your pay stubs or recent W-2 form), that could cause your application to be denied.
Is no credit worse than bad credit?
If you have no credit, it means creditors don’t have a good way to predict how likely you are to pay your bills as agreed. It’s not the same as bad credit, which means you have a credit history with major blemishes. It’s harder to move your score up to the good range when you start with bad credit.
What is the credit score for someone with no credit history?
If you have no credit history, you have no credit score — but not a zero credit score. The most frustrating thing about credit might be the chicken-and-egg problem of establishing it: Nobody wants to give you credit when you don’t have a track record of using credit.
Can I pay someone to be my cosigner?
You can choose to pay your cosigner out-of-pocket with what you can afford. If you are applying for a loan, you could offer to pay your cosigner with a part of the loan you receive after your application is approved. Why would someone be willing to risk their credit?
Why is cosigning a bad idea?
Any loan you cosign will show up on your credit report as one of your own debts. That means that if you apply for a big loan for yourself, such as a mortgage, you may get turned down because it looks like you already have too much debt.