What to do when your parents won’t cosign

Having a co-signer for an apartment can be a crucial part of the application process to the apartment owners.

A co-signer is there to sign the apartment lease with you and agree to take financial responsibility for the apartment rental. In other words, if you aren’t able to pay the rent because of your low student income, your co-signer will have to pay it. The apartment owners just want to be sure they get what is owed to them. So, if your parent can’t/ won’t do it because of some circumstance, there are other ways you can get past this part of the application.

Check for other family members and friends

You can get an adult to co-sign for you, especially if they have good credit and an acceptable income. So, it will behoove you to call around to other trusted adults that you know and see if they will be willing to do you the favor. However, you want to make sure that you and the adult that you chose share trust and communication. Hypothetically speaking, if you aren’t able to pay the rent one month, you want to able to let your co-signer know about the situation. Drama can take place if you don’t pay the rent without letting your co-signer know because it can affect their credit score.

Search for other apartments

Once you’ve tried to find someone else other than your parent to co-sign for you and you didn’t have any luck, go search for other apartments. Not all apartments need you to have a co-signer.  There are apartment owners out there that might accept your application if your parent (or another adult) has proof of steady income and stable employment. Additionally, some apartments may just require a higher security deposit that needs to be paid if proof of income and employment isn’t available

Have any advice on leasing without a parent? Comment below.

About the author:

Lavorian Smith majored in English- creative writing and minored in Humanities at Florida State University. She currently lives in Tampa, Florida working at a fashion store and freelance writing. When she’s free from work, her interests include art, fashion, and literature.