John with Apartment Find Felons of Texas specializes in helping those with a criminal history find a decent place to live. Van Winkle says the bill will allow property owners to rent to non-violent felons, without being held negligent in some cases if that individual commits a crime on property.

No matter how long ago your conviction may have been the landlord holds the right to deny you housing based on your past convictions. Not renting to a person with a felony is a rental standard designed to minimize the landlord’s liability risk. But it is important to note that all landlords may not feel this way.

It is illegal for a property manager or landlord to deny you rental housing for having a criminal record or simply for being arrested. However, you can be denied rental housing if you have been convicted of a dangerous crime that would put the property, community or other tenants at risk.

Your letting agent and some landlords will do a credit check to see if you’ve had problems paying bills in the past. They must get your permission first. It’s less common for private landlords to do credit checks because they can make it take longer to rent out a property.

A credit check can give a landlord a reasonable indication of what to expect from you as a renter. They look for prior evictions, your debt load and significant credit mishaps to determine whether you are likely to pay your rent on time each month.

How to Rent with a Bad Credit Score

1. Find a Guarantor. The quickest and easiest way of securing a let is to find a guarantor.
2. Use a Guarantor Service.
3. Pay Your Rent Upfront.
4. Move into a House Share.
5. Be open and honest.
6. Improve your Credit History.

Some landlords won’t rent to people with low credit scores. This doesn’t mean you can’t rent a home or apartment, though. There are some ways to get around this and prove to a potential landlord that you can afford to pay and will make payments on time.

Minimum Credit Score Needed: You’ll need a minimum credit score of 580 to qualify for an FHA loan that requires a down payment of just 3.5%. There is no minimum FICO® Score, though, to qualify for an FHA loan that requires a down payment of 10% or more.

What credit score do you need for renting an apartment? Generally, you’ll want a minimum credit score to rent an apartment of 620 to 650.

What Is a Bad Credit Score? On the FICO® Score☉ 8 scale of 300 to 850, one of the credit scores lenders most frequently use, a bad credit score is one below 670. More specifically, a score between 580 and 669 is considered fair, and one between 300 and 579 is poor.