My prospective new landlord requests that I get a credit check, saying to go to the internet for it.
It seems everyone who offers this on the net requires signing up for something which I have to pay for.
How should I best go about doing this?
Thanks!
Go straight to the source: go to the web site of a credit bureau (there are three big ones: Equifax, Transunion, and Experian) and order a report from them. It’ll run roughly $10-30 depending on if you order a report from just one or get a “3 in 1” report that has the info from all 3 on it. It’s also worth it to pay a little extra to get your FICO (an integer from 0 to 800, IIRC) score, which a lot of institutions use to judge you.
The websites that I’ve used (Equifax’s and Transunion’s) both were good at explaining what’s on the score.
The websites are www.transunion.com, www.equifax.com, and www.experian.com
If your prospective landlord requires a credit check before s/he will rent to you, then your prospective landlord ought to be the one who pays for it.
You are entitled to a free copy of your credit report if you are subjected to derogatory action as a result of information that appears on the report, i.e. your prospective landlord pulls your report and refuses to rent to you as a result, or you’re turned down for a loan or have an application for a credit card denied. Some states also require that the three major credit bureaus provide to you at your request a copy of your report at no charge. Late last year Bush signed the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act which, when fully implemented, will entitle everyone to a free copy of their report annually but that provision isn’t yet in effect.
Every apartment I’ve rented has required a credit check, and all of them have charged me for it (I’ve lived in the Bay Area, Southern California, and Dallas). It’s often part of the “Application Fee.”
From what I remember, Nolo’s “Renters Law” book recommends getting your credit reports from all three agencies and taking them with you in a folder, along with references, contact info, etc. If I was renting a house or half a duplex from someone who only had one or two rental properties, I wouldn’t be surprised if they asked me to get my credit report for them (it’s not like Joe Citizen can call a credit agency and pull a report on Joe Smith).
Wow, I guess I’m spoiled, I’ve only very rarely been credit checked before renting an apartment and I’ve never been charged an “application fee.” Sounds like a scam to me.
Sounds fishy to me too, if he wants it then he should be paying for it or at least performing the work himself. I’d take mine, doctor it up, and then present it to him with perfect credit but I’m bad like that. 
Most print-outs of credit reports generated from the Credit Bureau web sites are pretty good about not printing out or only partially printing stuff that could be abused–e.g., SSN’s, account numbers, etc. I just looked at a printout from Experian, and it seemed pretty safe. It does list DOB and former addresses, but those are likely things you’d give your landlord has part of the process anyhow.
Still not a bad idea to double check and black-out anything that worries you.
Two of the places I’ve rented have been from large complexes owned and managed by substantial companies (both had application fees, although at the two big places it was a small–$50 or so–non-refundable deposit that would cover the cost of the credit report and background check).
No, I mean charging an “application fee” sounds like a scam to me, a way for landlords to make extra money.
I hate to say it, but this landlord is being awful trusting. It would not be hard at all for me, or any number of other people I know to just File -> Save from their Equifax report, edit the contents using FrontPage or even MS-Word, and then print the resulting “improved” credit report.
Oh, and charging an application fee is legitimate. It covers the labor footwork of calling your references, and of pulling your credit file. That being said, the labor involved seems it would be less than half an hour, and three-bureau credit reports for a fricking MORTGAGE cost $7 or less… unless you’re paying over $45/hr for your rental office employees, a $30 fee would result in some profit for the landlord.
BTW, if someone reads this and comes to believe that they are paying that much for their rental office employees, please email me. I’d like that job.
This is really odd. If you buy a car, I guarantee they won’t let you do it yourself there. 
I assume you’re in the States, but I figured I’d mention that if you’re in Canada, you can get a report free by mail from either Equifax or Transunion. (The two credit information service companies in Canada). In the States, I believe you can also get it free, but only if you’ve been recently denied credit.
I got my report from Equifax once just for kicks. Note that Equifax also sells you your report online, which explains why it was such a pain in the @ss!!!. The free report also doesn’t include your actual credit score, for some reason. I’m trying Transunion next time, but if you’re in a hurry, you’d be better off paying for it. 
I assume the reason I have been asked to do this myself is because the landlord is only renting this one property, his former residence. He’s not some slumlord hawking tons of properties, waiting to cut people off at the knees (at least I sure as heck hope not!!)
RK
I got a free one from http://www.freecreditreport.com
Oh, and if you’re denied credit, you can get it free by calling them. At least call Equifax (USA), I’m not sure about the others. I’ve done it before and got my last credit card that way (still get denied for American Express, though :() Anyone try the on-line dispute?
Yes, indeed. Especially when the price charged is way more than they actually spend on any checking.
This has recently become a political issue here in the Twin Cities (where there is/was a shortage of rental housing). People trying to rent were having to pay an “application fee” to several landlords. The political suggestion was that the city housing dept should keep a copy of the credit/reference check for 6 months, and make it available to any landlord where the rentee had applied. This way, renters would only have to pay once for this check.
There were also reports of landlords using this “application fee” as their main income, without ever renting the apartment! Take a nice apartment, set it up with real nice furnishings, price it low, and each month get a dozen or so people to apply & pay the fee, but don’t rent it to anyone. You can bring in several hundred dollars a month from fees alone, with no wear & tear on your apartment, and no tenant problems.