How do you rent an apartment with bad credit?

Yes. Credit is only one thing a landlord looks at; income, rental history and references count too. In Ontario, a landlord who asks about income must weigh it together with credit references, rental history and the credit check. A guarantor or co-signer can also help, and Newfoundland and Labrador's Human Rights Commission says a landlord may ask for one when an applicant has a bad credit rating.

There is no separate kind of rental for people with bad credit, so apply where you would anyway and make the application strong: proof of income, landlord references and, if needed, a guarantor. Landlords who will meet you and look at your whole application, not just a score, are worth approaching first. You can browse rentals on SQRFT with the rent shown up front.

Yes. The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission says a lack of credit history should not be treated like a bad report, the Ontario Human Rights Commission says it should not be viewed negatively, and Newfoundland and Labrador's Commission says a landlord should not reject someone only for having no credit history. Bring proof of income and references instead, and offer a guarantor if the landlord wants more.

It can take more preparation. Have proof of income, landlord references and a possible guarantor ready before you apply, and be ready to explain your credit in a sentence or two. Human rights rules also limit how far a landlord can go: the Ontario Human Rights Commission says rent-to-income cut-offs are illegal, and New Brunswick's Commission treats minimum income rules as discriminatory.

It can. A landlord that runs a credit check with your consent may weigh what it shows. British Columbia's privacy commissioner says a landlord should run one only near the end of selection, on the few applicants it is seriously considering, and Ontario requires a landlord to weigh income together with credit and rental history. A thin or missing credit file is treated differently from a bad one in Saskatchewan, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador.

That is the landlord's call, within the screening rules. A landlord can weigh income, references and rental history alongside credit, and may ask for a guarantor (in Ontario, only if it asks the same of all tenants). Bad credit does not allow a deposit above the provincial limit, and a landlord cannot use credit or income rules as a way to exclude people for a protected ground. See how to screen tenants.

Yes, though you will need to lean on the rest of your application: steady income, references from past landlords and a short explanation of your credit. You cannot be asked for a bigger security deposit than your province allows, so a larger deposit is not a way around it. In Saskatchewan, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador, a missing credit history should not count against you.

Not above the provincial limit, which ranges from half a month's rent to one month's rent, plus a pet deposit in British Columbia and Manitoba. In Ontario, the only deposits are a last month's rent deposit and a refundable key deposit. In Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, extra money a landlord takes on top of rent counts toward the deposit limit, and the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission says demanding a larger deposit because of a protected characteristic is illegal.

Often not. Saskatchewan bans a landlord from collecting rent in advance for future periods, New Brunswick bars a prepaid last month's rent and any rent payment larger than the regular one, and Ontario allows only a last month's rent deposit. In Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, money taken on top of rent counts as a security deposit, so the deposit limit still applies. Check with your province's tenancy office before you offer to pay ahead.

Yes, and good income is one of your strongest points. Bring recent pay stubs or a letter from your employer. In Ontario, a landlord may ask about income only together with credit references, rental history and a credit check, and the Ontario Human Rights Commission says income information should only confirm that you can cover the rent.

No. Alberta's privacy commissioner says a landlord must get your consent under both the Consumer Protection Act and the privacy law, British Columbia's commissioner says consent is needed and the purpose must be explained, and the federal privacy law requires consent in the other seven provinces. For more, see can a landlord do a credit check.

Show the landlord another reliable way you will pay the rent. Income does not have to come from a job: Manitoba's Human Rights Commission says applicants should be able to list income from all sources, and the human rights laws in the provinces covered here protect some form of income source or public assistance (the wording differs by province, and Alberta's ground does not cover employment wages), so benefits such as social assistance or disability support can count. Back it up with references from past landlords and, if you can, a guarantor or co-signer with steady income, which Manitoba's Commission says you should be able to offer.

Landlords may ask about income, but New Brunswick's Commission treats permanent-job requirements and rent-to-income ratios as discriminatory, and Ontario's says a rent-to-income cut-off such as 30% is illegal. In British Columbia, proof of income or employment may be reasonable when your references are not enough. See can a landlord ask for bank statements for what to share.

It is possible, but expect to explain it. We found no rule in the provinces covered here that stops a landlord from asking about your rental history or weighing a past eviction: Ontario's screening regulation names rental history, Newfoundland and Labrador's Human Rights Act lets a landlord use rental history, and New Brunswick's Human Rights Commission treats rental history inquiries as legitimate. British Columbia's privacy commissioner says it is reasonable for a landlord to ask whether you have ever been evicted. In Alberta and British Columbia a landlord needs your consent to contact references.

SQRFT advice, not law: be upfront, give a short and honest explanation, and offer a reference from a more recent landlord, proof of steady income or a guarantor. A landlord still cannot refuse you on a ground your province's human rights law protects.

Landlords often ask for one, but we found no rule in the material we reviewed for the provinces covered here that requires you to have one. Government and privacy guidance in Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia lists references as something a landlord may ask for, and Ontario's screening regulation lets a landlord request credit references and rental history. A landlord needs your consent to contact references in Alberta and British Columbia, and federal privacy guidance says landlords should get it elsewhere. In British Columbia a landlord may also decline to process an application if you refuse to give former landlords' contact details.

If you have no references, offer other proof. British Columbia's privacy commissioner says it may be reasonable for a landlord to ask for proof of income or employment when a tenant cannot give adequate references, and the Saskatchewan and Ontario human rights commissions say a lack of rental or credit history should not count against you. SQRFT advice, not law: add a letter from your employer, a guarantor if you can, and a short note explaining why you have no landlord reference yet.