topic Re: Apartment Rental Application Denied by NTN (National Tenant Network) in Rebuilding Your Credit

Apartment Rental Application Denied by NTN (National Tenant Network)

Twitchrdrm — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 20:25:52 GMT

Long story short, have a job offer in Philly so I went up there to peep it out and find a place.

Found an awesome place to put in an application and was told today that I was declined due to credit by the company that they use NTN (National Tenant Network).

I have 3 baddies on my CR (3 CC charge off's from 2014/2015) that are scheduled to fall off this fall. I thought I could just coast and let them fall off but that is not the case.

I can only assume this is why I was denied considering I've never been late w/ my rent at my current place of 7 years.

Has anyone else dealt w/ this situation or NTN?

Also, if I settle for less than owed will it hurt me in the eyes of NTN?

Luckily I have the money to pay these off and I plan on doing this this week so I can appeal my app and hopefully get approved as I need to be up there by mid-May!

Any feedback or insight?

Re: Apartment Rental Application Denied by NTN (National Tenant Network)

gdale6 — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 21:43:08 GMT

I would obtain the credit report from them (NTN) and see what the problem really is before moving on anything

Re: Apartment Rental Application Denied by NTN (National Tenant Network)

HindSight_20_20 — Sun, 11 Apr 2021 22:17:19 GMT

@gdale6 wrote:
I would obtain the credit report from them (NTN) and see what the problem really is before moving on anything

100% agree with ☝🏽

Re: Apartment Rental Application Denied by NTN (National Tenant Network)

Twitchrdrm — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 00:52:40 GMT

Any idea how quickly they have to give me the report when i call and request it tomorrow?

I need to be up there by mid-May so the quicker I can pay off what needs to be paid off the better.

Re: Apartment Rental Application Denied by NTN (National Tenant Network)

gdale6 — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 13:48:05 GMT

@Twitchrdrm wrote:
Any idea how quickly they have to give me the report when i call and request it tomorrow?
I need to be up there by mid-May so the quicker I can pay off what needs to be paid off the better.

There is not a set time to mail it but if you can get it via the web that would be all the better. If thats not possible I would ask them to expedite it in the mail as you need to move

Re: Apartment Rental Application Denied by NTN (National Tenant Network)

Twitchrdrm — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 12:02:38 GMT

So I'm updating this in case anyone care and so if anyone else comes across a similar situation they have a resource.

I have to mail/fax a request for a report from NTN and then they will mail me a copy of the report.

Considering I do not have time to be waiting I went ahead and settled 2/3 of my baddies on my CR.

For context, these debts were about to fall off of my CR this Fall/Winter but I gotta do what I gotta do.

I'm hopeful that I can just furnish proof that these were paid and the complex will dispute the results of that application and give me a unit but we'll see what happens.

Question about apartment rental and credit

Twitchrdrm — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 15:37:31 GMT

I applied to rent an apartment in a diff city as I have accepted a job offer there.

I was denied based on credit. The lady who i dealt w/ initially who was all smiley and friendly suddenly became cagey and not interestested in speaking to me about what i could do to resolve this or if i could speak w/ someone higher up the ladder.

I pulled my CR's found 3 charge offs listed that were to fall off this fall.

I called each one up, they offered me a settlement and I took advantage of their offers and paid them the settlement amounts.

I gave this proof of info to the apt complex and I was told because they are settlements they do not count "because your credit report will still show a balance owed"....

If they would have told me this up front I would have paid in full.

These charge offs are from almost 7 years ago, since then I've pretty much rebuilt my CR profile w/ about 25K in available credit, no late payments, etc.

Can anything be done here? Am I basically SOL moving forward?

Re: Question about apartment rental and credit

Horseshoez — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 15:42:08 GMT

@Twitchrdrm wrote:
I applied to rent an apartment in a diff city as I have accepted a job offer there.
I was denied based on credit. The lady who i dealt w/ initially who was all smiley and friendly suddenly became cagey and not interestested in speaking to me about what i could do to resolve this or if i could speak w/ someone higher up the ladder.
I pulled my CR's found 3 charge offs listed that were to fall off this fall.
I called each one up, they offered me a settlement and I took advantage of their offers and paid them the settlement amounts.
I gave this proof of info to the apt complex and I was told because they are settlements they do not count "because your credit report will still show a balance owed"....
If they would have told me this up front I would have paid in full.
These charge offs are from almost 7 years ago, since then I've pretty much rebuilt my CR profile w/ about 25K in available credit, no late payments, etc.
Can anything be done here? Am I basically SOL moving forward?

It might be time to look for a different apartment.

Re: Question about apartment rental and credit

calyx — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 16:36:21 GMT

Back when I had really bad credit, I could still rent - I just had to offer a larger deposit. Is that an option for you?

Re: Question about apartment rental and credit

Mr_Mojo_Risin — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 19:24:02 GMT

I had the same experience as @calyx

Back then I had to pay a larger deposit. Hopefully that option will be available to you.

Good luck

Re: Question about apartment rental and credit

Shooting-For-800 — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 19:25:42 GMT

Find another place.

I am sure that cash talks in this situation.

Offer 3 months rent up front if you have another speed bump.

Half the country has credit issues, apartments will rent.

GL!

Re: Question about apartment rental and credit

Anonymous — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 19:29:56 GMT

@Horseshoez wrote:
@Twitchrdrm wrote:
I applied to rent an apartment in a diff city as I have accepted a job offer there.
I was denied based on credit. The lady who i dealt w/ initially who was all smiley and friendly suddenly became cagey and not interestested in speaking to me about what i could do to resolve this or if i could speak w/ someone higher up the ladder.
I pulled my CR's found 3 charge offs listed that were to fall off this fall.
I called each one up, they offered me a settlement and I took advantage of their offers and paid them the settlement amounts.
I gave this proof of info to the apt complex and I was told because they are settlements they do not count "because your credit report will still show a balance owed"....
If they would have told me this up front I would have paid in full.
These charge offs are from almost 7 years ago, since then I've pretty much rebuilt my CR profile w/ about 25K in available credit, no late payments, etc.
Can anything be done here? Am I basically SOL moving forward?
It might be time to look for a different apartment.

This. Especially if this is the same apartment complex you posted about, in a different post, at the beginning of the month.

As I said in that post, the rental landscape has changed a bit, but you're wasting your time working with a complex that isn't interested in working with you. You'll find a place, but it's going to take some effort.

Re: Question about apartment rental and credit

redE2move — Fri, 23 Apr 2021 23:27:52 GMT

Check with other complexes but ask for approval criteria upfront. If all else fails you may want to consider renting from a private owner.

Re: Question about apartment rental and credit

ShootingFor850 — Sat, 24 Apr 2021 04:53:03 GMT

I'm sorry to hear about you being turned down for an apartment.

Unfortunately, this is going to be a MAJOR problem in many states (such as Connecticut) where the government has put an eviction ban due to Covid. Many people, rightly or wrongly, have taken advantage of this and have stopped paying their rent, and the landlords have suffered tremendous losses. As a result, only the people with the very best credit are being accepted now.

Before the eviction ban, marginal credit was frequently accepted as most people didn't game the system and, in the event of a hardship, would try to work with the landlord to reach an agreeable term. Pretty soon there will be a flood of evictions, and I can guarantee that none of these people will be able to find anyone willing to rent to them for the next decade. We will be facing a new type of homeless crisis.

If you are unable to clean up your credit report, my best advice is to discuss this with the prospective landlord prior to wasting the application fee. Even providing a copy of your report prior to him pulling it for verification will be helpful and you will show you are forthcoming about the past issues.

Instead of looking at large complexes, you might want to look for the smaller landlords (you can check ownership records with the assessor's office) who might be less sophisticated or possibly more willing to work with story credit. You can also find some that don't pull credit reports, but those types of landlords carry other risks that you may not want to deal with. If you go down that road, gently inquire how much the applicaton fee is. If there's none, then there's probably no credit report pulled. Personally, I'd stay far away from those places.

Re: Question about apartment rental and credit

donotpassgo — Sat, 24 Apr 2021 04:11:05 GMT

In this case, I would approach the situation in a genteel but forthright fashion. Be up front, and be prepared to "make it work" - no matter what entity you end up approaching next, and you may have to try more than once. But all isn't lost.

Some places will move forward with your application if you can show you're aware of your situation, and are willing to show that you can compromise to meet both yours and your potential landlord's interest in light of your damaged financial reputation (credit history).

Try not to feel defeated, and this might sound counterintuitive, but go for what you want, instead of 'settling' for less (in terms of overall housing); just be prepared to accept less than favorable initial terms, whether it be in the form of provisional leasing requirements, higher down payments, referrals and proof of income, etc.

One last note, and please don't take this the wrong way, but your lack of awareness (of your own credit standing) going into the first application may have further amplified your red flag status, so to speak.

Now that you know your current standing, own it and approach your next application with better foresight, and a willingness to understand - and overcome - any potential objections.

Bottom line, you're not in the best position, but you're not SOL. Don't give up.

Re: Question about apartment rental and credit

Anonymous — Sat, 24 Apr 2021 04:21:39 GMT

Definitely sounds like it's time to move on. Also, is it possible to call those collection agencies back and pay all the way off and ask for deletion? I hope you find a nice place to rent soon.

Re: Question about apartment rental and credit

Total80sKid — Sat, 24 Apr 2021 08:50:37 GMT

This happened to me last summer.

Apartment buildings are tightening up more than I've ever seen in my life.

I have horrible credit right now and last summer I desperately needed to find my own place, so my best friend, who has great credit and a good job, agreed to co-sign for me.

7 different apartment complexes in different cities denied us because of my credit, even though I had the co-signer. We offered a higher deposit and just kept hearing, 'we're sorry'.

So I'm renting a room from my best friends mom. It's awful, but could be worse. It did push me to file BK so I can start building again, but I feel your pain, OP.

I wish you nothing but the best in your search!

Re: Question about apartment rental and credit

House2021 — Sat, 24 Apr 2021 16:22:28 GMT

Total80skid when you say you had bad credit last summer, how bad was it score wise? Was it recent? I have issues from 5 years ago and wonder if it'll affect me

Re: Question about apartment rental and credit

OmarGB9 — Sat, 24 Apr 2021 16:43:52 GMT

@Twitchrdrm wrote:
I applied to rent an apartment in a diff city as I have accepted a job offer there.
I was denied based on credit. The lady who i dealt w/ initially who was all smiley and friendly suddenly became cagey and not interestested in speaking to me about what i could do to resolve this or if i could speak w/ someone higher up the ladder.
I pulled my CR's found 3 charge offs listed that were to fall off this fall.
I called each one up, they offered me a settlement and I took advantage of their offers and paid them the settlement amounts.
I gave this proof of info to the apt complex and I was told because they are settlements they do not count "because your credit report will still show a balance owed"....
If they would have told me this up front I would have paid in full.
These charge offs are from almost 7 years ago, since then I've pretty much rebuilt my CR profile w/ about 25K in available credit, no late payments, etc.
Can anything be done here? Am I basically SOL moving forward?

That's not even right. Even if you settle for less, by law, CAs MUST update to ZERO balance. There may be a comment saying you settled for less, but there will NOT still be a balance owed. I would talk with them again.

Re: Question about apartment rental and credit

House2021 — Sun, 25 Apr 2021 05:23:49 GMT

Have you tried applying for another rental property by another management co @Twitchrdrm?