The leasing agent at the Evanston building told me, very kindly, that the application "includes a standard credit and background screening." Then she slid a printed checklist across the folding table in the empty studio, and I folded it into my planner like it was a permission slip.
That was last week. The studio is on the top floor of an old brick courtyard building, about 480 square feet, a short walk to the Purple Line, and $1,295 a month with heat and water included. I've toured three places since March, and this is the one I want. Before I submit, I wanted to know exactly what the landlord is going to see.
What landlords actually check
From the checklist and from asking a coworker who manages her family's two-flat, a typical application looks at three things:
- Credit: your score and your reports, looking for late payments, collections, unpaid debts from past rentals and how much debt you carry.
- Income: usually proof that you earn about three times the rent. Pay stubs or an offer letter.
- Rental history: past landlords, sometimes a reference call, and a background check.
The income part I'd already worked out. My raise in March took my salary to $49,800, which is about $4,150 a month before taxes. Three times $1,295 is $3,885. I clear it, not by a mile, but I clear it. My most recent pay stubs and the raise letter are printed and in the folder.
For rental history, I have one previous landlord, from the Rogers Park two-bedroom I shared with Tess from 2022 to 2024. We paid on time every month, even the months when I was putting takeout on a credit card. I emailed him to ask if he'd be a reference, and he said yes within the hour.
My score and reports
My score this month is 752. When I started this blog it was 668. The jump mostly came from paying off my credit card balance last May and then not doing anything dumb since.
I pulled all three reports again, for free, through the official free report site, just like I did last March. This time they were a lot less dramatic. My student loans are down to about $11,200 combined, with every payment on time since the end of 2023. Both credit cards are open, both with balances near zero. There are no collections, no other late payments and no hard inquiries in the last two years.
The one blemish is the same as before: a 30-day late payment on a student loan from November 2023. It will be there until 2030, but it's two and a half years old now.
I'm a little nervous about the late payment, honestly. But in the context of everything else, it reads like what it was, one mistake right when repayment restarted.
What I tidied up
Nothing on my reports needed disputing. I did a few small things anyway, because I'd rather not give anyone a reason to ask questions:
First, I paid my card balance before the statement closed this month, so it reports close to $0. My cards only carry one small subscription plus whatever I put on them, but I wanted utilization near zero when the landlord pulls it.
Second, my second card still had my Rogers Park address on file, which showed up on one report as a "current" address. I updated it with the card issuer to my parents' address. Mismatched addresses aren't a crisis, but the background check compares addresses, and I'd rather not explain a move from two years ago.
Third, I'm not applying for anything else until the lease is signed. No new card, no store financing on a couch. A tenant screening may show up as a hard inquiry, and I want it to be the only one.
I also didn't freeze or lock my credit, which some people do for safety. If you have a freeze in place, remember to lift it temporarily before you apply, or the screening will fail and you'll lose a day.
Pay stubs, the raise letter, a photo ID, my old landlord's contact information, and a check for the $50 application fee. The deposit would be $1,295, and the first month another $1,295. Both are coming out of my move fund, which has been growing at $900 a month since January.
My mom said this is the most organized she has ever seen me. I said I've been practicing for a year. She said she meant the folder had tabs. It does have tabs.
I'm submitting it this week. Fingers crossed, and a backup option listed in the club sheet just in case.
