Rental Application For (Address: Fill & Download for Free

My Quora followers will be absolutely shocked at this post… no matter, I’m glad to share these things!When I lived stateside and was down on my luck I suddenly found myself living in my car with only my clothes to my name.How did this happen?Well, my wife had found a lover, one day I came home early from work and he was in my house and she wasn’t, so I had him arrested for breaking and entering!Actually, this is an exceptionally hilarious story that I’ll save for another post…Anyway, I promptly left the house and went to a hotel.Because my wife was angry at what I’d done to her lover she blocked our bank accounts.I filed for divorce, but she hired a really good lawyer and the judge gave her everything. I got nothing but the car.Two weeks later I was laid off from a long-term and well-paying job, but because of the divorce I had very little money saved.So, suddenly I had a really big problem, but there was no one who could really help me, not even my family.I didn’t have enough money to get an apartment, so I started to sleep in my car.I knew that what I really needed was a permanent address, but in my sudden new position in life there was no way I could get one.Here’s what I did …I went to a post office (PO) box rental company and rented a box.Instead of putting down my address as “Box 12” when I was filling out a form, I put down “Unit 12”.Not once did I ever get a complaint from the mailbox company or the post office.All my mail arrived without a problem, including government mail.It’s a really good way to maintain a permanent address if you’re moving around a lot or are temporarily living in your car.It can even help you to improve your credit rating because it appears like you’re in a stable location for a period of time.The other thing that I did was I got a gym membership. I’d go to the gym every day to take a shower.The PO box cost me about $35 dollars a month, and the gym membership was about the same.So, for less than three dollars a day I was able to stay clean and appear, at least on paper and to everyone else, to be stable.I lived in my car for eight months before I was able to find a job and then another four months before I was able to save up enough money for first and last month’s rent and get myself into a small apartment.Would you believe that no one ever found me out? It’s true! No one ever knew!One of the first things I did after I got my PO box address was to try and get credit.Of course I was declined, but the address went on my credit rating nonetheless.I am absolutely sure that the apartment rental agency that I applied to wouldn’t have approved my rental application had I not tried to use the PO box’s address as my own to get credit a year earlier.To them it looked like I had lived for a year at my previous address and simply chose not to renew my lease. I even said as much when I was filling out my application.During that year I spent another ten dollars a week at the laundromat to keep my clothes clean, including the cost for laundry detergent.Toothpaste, soap and other incidentals cost me around thirty dollars a month.So basically my rent, water, electricity, laundry and personal grooming cost me about $150 a month, five dollars a day.During the time that I wasn’t working I’d go to various public parks around town and remove soda pop and beer cans from the garbage cans.When I had filled up the trunk of my car and then some, I went to the supermarket and put the cans in the recycling machines out front.I got a nickel for two cans and two cents for a single can.I was actually able to collect enough cans to pay the five dollars a day for my upkeep and also put two gallons of gas in my car so that I could drive around the next day.Incredibly, I was also able to collect enough cans to buy a liter of water and a package of Tang (powdered orange-flavored drink) every day.There was even enough left over for a Hostess dessert pie for breakfast, a 7-Eleven microwaveable burrito for lunch and some bread, ham, cheese and fruit for dinner!My food expenses were about seven dollars a day and it was about the same for gasoline.So, I lived on a budget of $20 dollars a day for nine months.Somehow, and I have no idea how, I was able to collect between 400 and 500 cans a day—and I survived!I have no shame in it, nor in sharing it; it wasn’t my fault to begin with, but in no way was I going to give up. I’m too proud.Sure, I could have sold my car to rent an apartment, but then how would I get to work or find a job?By bus? Not so practical in San Diego.So I did what I did in the way that I did it.Today, I have a house on the beach and I will buy a second one soon. I have a new wife whom I love and who loves me and we have a wonderful son together.I’ve worked for 11 years at the same company, so my life is stable once again.But I’ll never forget that year; it was a true life lesson.And you know what?It wasn’t so bad living in my car collecting cans so that I could get through the day!Get a PO box, get a gym membership, maintain a prepaid cellular line so people can call you, try to get credit, do what you need to do to find the $20 to $30 dollars a day you need and in the end you’ll be just fine!Good luck!Cheers!EDIT: My fellow Quorans! OMG! Thank you for your wonderful comments and support!

I have one rental home which represents part of my retirement savings. The amount of money I charged was not my top priority. I have heard so many horror stories about the tenants from hell, or tenant landlord disputes, that my top priority was getting the right tenant in the home. I advertised the home for rent both online and with a sign out front. Each person who wanted to see the home made an appointment. I conducted a tour of the home while doing an interview somewhat disguised as small talk. I spent enough time with each prospective renter to make some general observations. Being a retired cop I could quickly identify the B.S. artists, of which there were many. Some of the most interesting answers were to questions like, ““Why are you moving?” or “What was your last landlord like?” I also listened carefully to the concerns they had, and the words they used to describe their employers.I looked at the way they were dressed, neat and clean or messy and unkept. I continued my conversation with them following them to their car. Look at the way a person keeps their car, inside and out, and you can get an idea of how they will keep your rental home. The last thing I would do is provide them with a rental application. The application was quite detailed accounting for multiple years of employment and I think ten years of history on where they lived. Also, the names of old neighbors who might be references. Each clearly stated that contact information must be provided by way of phone number and street address. I explained that I only had one residence to rent and my goal was finding the best possible fit between renter and home. I also advised that I would continue my search for weeks or longer before selecting a renter.I had numerous prospective renters which I ranked by my own specific criteria as well as my gut instincts. I continued for several months before meeting my current renter. It was an older person with a stable income who was separated and had only about a year of rental history. She told me several horror stories about her landlord who was unresponsive to the needs of the unit, once leaving them with no heat. I got such a good vibe from this person as she toured the home that I offered her the unit very quickly. I did my homework first and agreed the old landlord was a real piece of work.I sent out letters to all the other prospective renters thanking them for their interest and notifying them that the unit was no longer for rent. I also made a mental commitment that I would work to be a great landlord. Right from the beginning, I advised that I would be responsible for even the simplest repairs including changing lightbulbs and adding salt to the water softener. As time went by I would also clear the driveway of snow and complete all yard maintenance, mowing, raking, and trimming the landscaping. Over the past five years, my experience has been great. Rent is always on time, and I think both my tenant and I are happy.I have ignored the experts, and have not raised the rent since the beginning. It’s worth it to me to not get top dollar but to have a great tenant. If and when she ever leaves, the new renter will pay more, but for now, the money is secondary to having a perfect tenant.Author of “One Cop’s Life” available on Amazon.

Orwellian for sure. The problem is the amount of risk landlords take on with new renters. They need protect their investment and, although they aren't foolproof indicators, credit score, account information, and criminal history should give the best idea of a person's trustworthiness and responsibility. Specifically with credit, the landlord needs the SSN, full name, and previous address for full identity verification.My real issue is the fact that you have to do this whole song and dance for each and every rental application. They're asking for the same information-- why can't you just do it once? Full disclosure (upcoming obligatory plug). A few friends and I came up with the idea of having a rental application from one, trusted source so you don't have to send out your private information all over the place. It's called myRentr.com | Universal Rental Applications and we're working to build a single application so landlords don't have to screen candidates themselves and applicants can apply to multiple apartments without the added fees or screenings. Check it out. I think it's a good solution to the privacy issue and would love to hear how you feel about the idea.