Your first month in San Francisco
The order things have to happen in, and the rules that already exist so you can tell normal from not.
Quick answer
Phone, then bank, then apartment, then utilities — in that order, because each one unlocks the next. A prepaid US number needs no SSN and no credit check and takes an afternoon. A bank account follows once you have two IDs and, at most banks, a US address. The apartment is gated on income documents, not on your SSN, with application fees of $35 to $63.90 per adult and a deposit capped at one month's rent. Utilities and renters insurance come last, once there is an address to attach them to; PG&E may ask for an SSN but states you have the right not to provide it.
The loop, and where to cut it
No SSN without an address, no address without a bank account, no bank account without a US phone number. The number is the cheapest link to break, because prepaid needs no SSN and no credit check. So: phone, then bank, then apartment, then utilities.
A US phone number, on day one
Prepaid gets you a working number with a passport and a payment method. Verizon Prepaid publishes "There's no credit check, no deposit, no annual contract"; AT&T Prepaid publishes "No annual contracts. No credit checks." Details and the carriers that publish less: phone plans without an SSN.
A bank account
Bank of America's international pages state in writing that an SSN is not required, with two forms of ID and a physical US address. Citi lists an ITIN as an alternative to an SSN. Chase's list for non-permanent residents requires an ID carrying a US address, which is the sentence that catches people in week one. Bank by bank: bank accounts without an SSN.
An apartment you can actually qualify for
San Francisco managers gate on income, not on your SSN — multiples run from 2.2× after-tax to 3× gross, and application fees run $35 to $63.90 per adult. Two of the seven we read require an in-person tour before you may apply at all. Their published rules: renting with no credit history.
Utilities, insurance, and the deposit rules
Covered below.
Turning on the power
PG&E's privacy policy states it plainly: "To start or re-start service, you may be asked to provide your Social Security number for us to validate your identity. You have the right to not provide your Social Security number. However, a deposit may be charged, and we will request alternate identification (e.g., driver's license, passport, state identification, etc.)."
Service can start the same day you complete the request, or you can arrange it up to 60 days in advance. You start it by registering at pge.com or by calling 1-877-660-6789.
PG&E privacy policy and start-service page, read 2026-09-05. On home internet we have not verified any provider's identity requirements, so this page does not cover it rather than guessing.
Renters insurance
California law does not require you to carry it; your lease may. The California Department of Insurance's residential guide describes the standard structure of a renters policy: Coverage C for personal property in an amount you choose subject to the insurer's minimum, Coverage D loss of use at 20% of Coverage C, Coverage E personal liability generally subject to a minimum of $100,000, and Coverage F medical payments to others generally subject to a minimum of $1,000. The guide's blunt line for renters is that your landlord does not insure your belongings.
California Department of Insurance, residential insurance guide, read 2026-09-05. Whether your particular lease requires a policy, and at what liability limit, is in the lease — read that clause before you shop.
Your deposit, and the money that comes back
- The cap is one month's rent under Civil Code §1950.5(c) from 1 January 2026, furnished or not. Two months applies only to a small landlord: a natural person, or an LLC whose members are all natural persons, owning no more than two residential properties totalling four or fewer units.
- In San Francisco your deposit earns interest. Chapter 49 of the Administrative Code requires landlords to pay interest annually on deposits held over one year. The rate for 1 March 2026 through 28 February 2027 is 4.2%. When you move out, that interest must be paid within two weeks.
- Application fees are capped and partly refundable. Civil Code §1950.6 sets a $30 base per applicant, adjusted annually for CPI since 1998 — which is why real fees run higher. If you paid one, you can have a copy of the credit report within seven days, and any part not used for a report or reference check must be returned.
San Francisco security deposit page and California Civil Code §1950.5 and §1950.6, read 2026-09-05. Rates and statutes change; this is where they stood on that date.
The month as a table
| When | Step | The gate | Where it is written | What can stop you |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Prepaid US number | Passport, a payment method | Verizon and AT&T prepaid pages: no credit check | T-Mobile's prepaid fine print allows a credit check |
| Week 1 | Bank account | Two IDs; a US address at most banks | Bank of America international page: no SSN required | Chase: one ID must show a US address |
| Weeks 1–3 | Apartment | Income at 2.2× after-tax to 3× gross | Seven SF managers' published rules | Two of the seven require an in-person tour before applying |
| Lease signed | Electricity and gas | Identity check; SSN optional | PG&E privacy policy | Without an SSN a deposit may be charged |
| Lease signed | Renters insurance | Only if the lease requires it | California Department of Insurance guide | The lease clause sets the liability limit — read it first |
| Move-in | Deposit | One month's rent, capped | Civil Code §1950.5(c); SF Administrative Code ch. 49 | Small-landlord exemption allows two months |
| Weeks 2–4 | First credit card | A bank account to fund the deposit | Cards without an SSN | No score exists for six months whatever you do |
If you are moving from another US city, not from abroad
You already have the phone and the bank. What changes in San Francisco is the apartment gate — the income multiple and the in-person tour rule at two managers — and the deposit rules: one month's rent, plus annual interest under Chapter 49 once the landlord has held it a year.
If you are arriving on an H-1B or L-1 with an offer letter
The offer letter is your income document at managers that name it, and Bank of America's professional page is written for a non-citizen with a US address. The address is the thing you will not have on day one; a short-term stay with a mailing address breaks that loop.
If you are an F-1 student
The bank step can happen before you land through East West's Global Student Account. For the apartment, the guarantor and savings routes on the renting page are the ones written for funded students.
How we checked
- Each step links to the page where its rule is quoted with the date we read it; this page only orders them.
- PG&E, the Department of Insurance guide and the deposit statutes were read 2026-09-05. The SF deposit interest rate is the one published for 1 March 2026 to 28 February 2027.
- Home internet is not covered because we have not verified any provider's identity requirements; we would rather leave a gap than fill it with a guess.
- Nobody named on this page pays us.
Common questions
I'm moving to San Francisco from abroad — what do I need to set up in my first month?
In this order: a prepaid US phone number on day one, because online bank openings text a code to a US number; then a bank account, choosing the bank by which document you are missing rather than by brand; then the apartment, where the gate is income documentation rather than your SSN; then utilities and renters insurance once you have an address. Each step unlocks the next, and doing them out of order is the most common wasted week.
How do I set up utilities in a new San Francisco apartment?
Register at pge.com or call 1-877-660-6789. Service can begin the same day you complete the request, or you can schedule it up to 60 days ahead. PG&E may ask for your Social Security number to verify identity, and its privacy policy states you have the right not to provide it — in which case a deposit may be charged and it will ask for alternate identification such as a driver's license, passport or state ID.
Do I need renters insurance in San Francisco?
Not by law, but your lease may require it, so read that clause before you shop. The California Department of Insurance describes what a policy contains: personal property cover in an amount you pick, loss of use at 20% of that amount, personal liability generally starting at $100,000, and medical payments generally starting at $1,000. The reason to hold one anyway is the guide's own point — your landlord's insurance does not cover your belongings.
Do I get interest on my security deposit in San Francisco?
Yes, if the landlord has held it more than a year. Chapter 49 of the San Francisco Administrative Code requires the interest to be paid annually, and the rate for 1 March 2026 through 28 February 2027 is 4.2%. When you move out, the interest is due within two weeks. Separately, the deposit itself is capped at one month's rent statewide, or two months for a qualifying small landlord.
Put Roots is the agent for the middle of this list: it checks each listing's written requirements against what you can produce, and prepares the outreach for you to approve. Open the map or read how it works.