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When it comes to needing a place for felons to live, apartments make an ideal option. Apartments are usually plentiful in most areas, and they provide affordable rates. There may be some apartment complexes that don’t want felons living there, but you shouldn’t have problem finding an apartment that will rent to you. Finding felon friendly apartments are largely going to come down to what you can afford and the effort you put in.
How to Find a Felon Friendly Apartment
Felons who are in need of an apartment should start with what their budget is. Determine what your bills are each month, as well as your income, so you can see how much you can afford for an apartment. As a general guideline, you shouldn’t go over 30% of your monthly income on your rent. Therefore, if you make $3500 per month, you would not want to pay a monthly rent that is higher than $1,050.
Using that guideline it will give you an idea of what apartment rent range you should consider looking in. That should leave you enough monthly income to pay for other living expenses. Once you have your maximum amount figured out that you can pay for rent, it’s time to start scouting out the places.
If you live in or near the city you are seeking an apartment in you may already know some complexes, or you may have friends and family who can make suggestions. Living within the vicinity of the apartment complexes makes it easier, so you can stop by and take a tour to check them out. You can also ask questions about what it costs to move in, what the application process is like, and so on.
If you do not live in or near the city where you are looking for an apartment, your efforts will largely be done online. There are online websites where you can get detailed apartment information, including rent, pictures, availability, etc. Spending a little time online at these sites should give you some good options to consider, especially if you know the area you would like to move to.
Felon Friendly Apartment Applications
Apartment complexes usually want people to fill out an application if they would like to rent an apartment. The information on that application, along with additional details they may learn that are not on there, will be used to determine if you get approved for the apartment or not. Some apartment complexes charge an application fee, which would mean you need to pay a fee to fill out the application. If that is the case, then inquire ahead of time if they will rent to a felon. If they will not, it will save you money from even filling out the application.
There are some things you can do in order to improve your chances of being able to find a felon friendly apartment. Having your credit be in good shape is one of them. If you have been working toward helping to improve your credit report, then that will go a long way toward helping you get approved. Another important factor is having a steady job. If you have a steady job they will take that into account when determining if you should be able to get the apartment and if they feel you can afford it each month.
What Can Help
One of the things you can do to help find a felon friendly apartment is to go the places and speak to the manager. Inquire with them about what their policy is on renting to felons, and be ready to answer questions. Share your story with the apartment manager, about how you are trying to improve your life and make changes. By speaking directly with the apartment manager you will have a better chance of being able to get approved for the apartment rental.
To find affordable apartments in your area, ask friends and family members for referrals. After that, check with the many online sites that offer apartment information. If you don’t find something that is affordable with those options, reach out to your local housing authority to see what options they have. They are found in most cities and their mission is to help everyone find affordable housing.
Felons may have a more challenging time when it comes to being able to rent an apartment, but with some effort they still can. You just need to find those places that will rent to a felon. There are plenty of them that will, so it is important to seek them out. If you were incarcerated and just recently released, reach out to places that offer transitional housing options, as well as your local Housing and Urban Development office. All of these places should be able to help you find apartments that will rent to felons.
