Hey gang,

I'm going to be moving (again!) in the next couple of months and would like to check my credit score beforehand to fend off any surprises. I just tried doing the Myfico.com score but it looks like I have to sign up for some monthly program for $14.95 just to get my dang credit score. But of course, they offer "a Free 10-day trial" of the service with a 3 month minimum. I thought there were places where I could just pay a one time fee of about $10 and then get my score?

I used to have the credit report and score monitoring service Capital One offered but it seems like they discontinued it due to law suits. That's what the rep told me when I called them up a couple of weeks ago. Anywho, what sites do you recommend for this stuff? I don't want to enter my info into just any site. Also, I'd like to pull it tomorrow morning. I'm going to see an apartment tomorrow night and want to know in case the person asks about it.

Thanks for the help, y'all.

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trisho.
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Official Card-Carrying Mother Earthin' Sl*t.

You can get your free annual reports at the 3 major bureaus here:
[www.annualcreditreport.com]

To get an actual score from them though, you have to pay a fee.
I haven't tried it myself but its been highly recommended, and apparently you can get scores for free at creditkarma.com.

You really don't need the score though, unless you're applying for a big loan like a mortgage. If you've paid everything currently and have relatively low balances (30% or less of limits) and no delinquent old accounts, you've got a good score and would be fine for any rental arrangement.

Clark Howard's take, and recommendation, on Credit Karma.

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If you want to fix our country, work with us in the states. statesproject.org

"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama

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graylocks
Clark Howard's take, and recommendation, on Credit Karma.

I just tried Credit Karma and it was 100% right on the money.

Thanks guys, I tried Credit Karma last week and got a score but I need something to check it against. I haven't seen a "real" score in about 8 months or so. I'm trying to find a site where it's only a one-time fee and not a monthly credit service monitoring program or whatever. Especially not for $14.95 a month.

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trisho.
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Official Card-Carrying Mother Earthin' Sl*t.

It is a real score (TransUnion).

You can also try Quizzle - they use Experian and it is similar to Credit Karma (Quicken Loans operates this site).

[www.quizzle.com]

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I'm curious. If you are moving in a few months, why do you need a score? FICO or otherwise?

Most landlords, myself included, don't care if you have a 800 score. Most just don't want to see judgments or delinquencies. In fact, I'm more leery of stellar credit because it probably means they will be a short-term renter. Anyway, even when I see a score, I want to see the actual report and see that it is what the prospective tenant said would be in there. I find a stronger correlation between someone being upfront and a successful tenancy than anything else.

I'm sure I do more than 80% of the small landlords out there. I know many who don't check credit and then wonder why they wind up having to do evictions or deal with unreasonable tenants.

Makes sense. My parents needed to rent a place for 6 months because a new home was delayed and they sold their old home. They looked to rent a furnished place for 6 months and every where they went had lots of questions

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"No Comment"

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trisho.
Thanks guys, I tried Credit Karma last week and got a score but I need something to check it against. I haven't seen a "real" score in about 8 months or so. I'm trying to find a site where it's only a one-time fee and not a monthly credit service monitoring program or whatever. Especially not for $14.95 a month.

earlier this year I did want to see my actual FICO score. $19.95 from FICO. years ago I got the FICO for free by signing up for the free trial with monitoring and canceling in time. I tried the trial route again this year but since they had my social I was already in the system and I wasn't eligible for the freebie.

btw, i just did some checking;

CreditKarma - 771
Quizzle - 770

I applied for a mortgage refi about 10 days ago and the bank sent me a copy of my TransUnion credit score: 799. i've heard that your score takes a hit if you've been applying for a loan so the lower numbers at quizzle and CK sort of make sense.

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If you want to fix our country, work with us in the states. statesproject.org

"Success isn't about how much money you make. It is about the difference you make in people's lives."--Michelle Obama



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/2012 09:20AM by graylocks.

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Wailer
I'm curious. If you are moving in a few months, why do you need a score? FICO or otherwise?

Most landlords, myself included, don't care if you have a 800 score. Most just don't want to see judgments or delinquencies. In fact, I'm more leery of stellar credit because it probably means they will be a short-term renter. Anyway, even when I see a score, I want to see the actual report and see that it is what the prospective tenant said would be in there. I find a stronger correlation between someone being upfront and a successful tenancy than anything else.

This is probably a regional thing. In NYC, it doesn't work that way. They want to see your credit score along with the report. It's also kind of difficult to move in NYC in terms of finances. About 60% of landlords want first month's rent, last month's rent and a security deposit (of one month). The apartment I'm seeing tonight costs $1100/month. The management company only wants first and security, so $2200 to move in for January 1st. The problem is, it's usually an arms race because some kid from the Mid West with parents having oodles of money may offer to put down 6 or 12 months of rent, yada yada. That's the way things go here in NYC sometimes.

I'll be the first person looking at the apartment but the current tenant's not making her decision until next week so she could see a bunch of other prospective people after me. I'm going there tonight with a bunch of documents like employment contract, 3 recent pay stubs and a check for a deposit, just in case since I really want this apartment.

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trisho.
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Official Card-Carrying Mother Earthin' Sl*t.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/2012 09:26AM by trisho..

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trisho.

I'll be the first person looking at the apartment but the current tenant's not making her decision until next week so she could see a bunch of other prospective people after me. I'm going there tonight with a bunch of documents like employment contract, 3 recent pay stubs and a check for a deposit, just in case since I really want this apartment.

good luck trisho - hope you get the apartment.

Ok. Thanks for explaining. I wish you and your parents the best of luck.

If it's a rent-controlled, section 8 or otherwise subsidized housing that is under market value, then the landlord wants the best quality tenant that'll be the least hassle. There is nothing worse than having a high-needs tenant who stiffs you for paying below-market rent. Eviction isn't fun and it makes you wish you had just left it vacant.

Good credit is a must but not just the score. You should show them the credit file too and explain anything that may be negative. FWIW, it's great if you show me a report (a score is meaningless to me) but I usually want to run the credit check myself. It's too easy to fake one and the people who fake a credit report are the ones you really have to watch out for.

Sadly, if you are competing against people who will prepay 6 mos rent and you can't, it'll be almost impossible to get it the place. The only chance you really have is that you or your parents can bond well with the persons making the decision. Understand their motivation. Do they want an quiet tenant that'll be there for 20 years? Do they want someone who will stay a year and then move so they can raise the rent? Do they want a older couple who won't complain out the manager's kids? Do they want a hot woman living there? When the rent is set by non-market forces, these factors become key.

A little story: I lived in a rent controlled apartment in Berkeley in the 80s and was paying $200/mo for 2bd/1ba. I, well my parents, had to pay a $5k "finder's fee" to get it (Illegal, but go ahead and complain while you find another apartment). I discovered that cute girls only had to pay less, so the building was full of girls. As cheap as the rent was and below market, it almost wasn't worth $200/mo when I had to factor the roaches, 30-year old piss-stained carpet, a generally dilapidated building that seemed like a fire hazard, and mentally unstable neighbors who couldn't afford to move anywhere else. Nobody complained. The landlord didn't care because he had 50 people lined up to take the rental (it was 2 blocks from campus). I had to stay there for 4 years to make it worth the $5k fee.

I don't want to turn this political, but rent-control benefits a small minority of renters and hurts everyone else.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/28/2012 11:28AM by Wailer.

Thanks for the well wishes Lemon Drop and Wailer. I went to see the apartment tonight and I love it. Turns out she may not even move until February 1st but that's still okay for me. A couple of other people have seen it already but my flexible timing is a huge bonus in my court. Fingers and toes crossed.

About the credit report: I finally checked it at Experian and it was 16 points higher than when I sued Credit Karma a couple of weeks ago. That's good to know. Thanks folks for the good advice and conversation. It honestly did help me be at ease for a bit today. You guys are swell.

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trisho.
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Official Card-Carrying Mother Earthin' Sl*t.

you sued Credit Karma?