Renting in the US with no credit history
What San Francisco landlords actually write down, quoted from their own pages, with the day we read each one.
Quick answer
Yes, you can rent in San Francisco with no US credit history. Of the seven property managers whose published rules we read, none makes an SSN the gate. What every one of them gates on is income: 2.2× after-tax to 3× gross monthly rent, proven with documents they name — pay stubs, an offer letter, tax returns or bank statements. A missing credit file is replaced by a guarantor or a guaranty service the building accepts. Application fees run $35 to $63.90 per adult, and the security deposit is capped at one month's rent from 1 January 2026.
The wall is income documentation, not your SSN
We hold 5,625 San Francisco listings, 4,237 of them with a written description. Searching those descriptions on 2026-09-14: "SSN", "Social Security" or "ITIN" appear in 0 of them. Income, pay stubs or W-2 appear in 291. Credit score, check, history or report in 172. Guarantor or co-signer in 53. Landlords are not screening you on the number you don't have. They are screening you on documents proving you can pay — which is a problem you can prepare for.
What SF property managers publish
A property manager usually runs many buildings on one set of rules, so reading one page covers a lot of inventory. Everything below is quoted from the manager's own public page and was read on 2026-08-31.
| Property manager | Income rule | Application fee | Credit | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RentSFNow | 2.5× monthly rent, combined gross | $35 per adult | Runs a screening; no published minimum | Accepts SSN or ITIN; co-signers accepted; you must view the unit in person before applying; deposit 0.5–2 months set by a third-party risk level |
| Mosser Living | 2.5× monthly rent, gross | $42 per adult | Screened through ScreeningWorks; no published minimum | A guarantor must show 5× the rent; savings can stand in for income; deposit is one month if approved, two if approved with conditions |
| Gordon Property Management | 3× monthly rent, combined gross | — | No minimum score — "If your credit history is less than ideal, please tell us why." | Accepts pay stubs, an offer letter, tax returns or bank statements; 12-month lease; asks for three years of US residence history and past landlords |
| Advent Properties | 2.2× after-tax, +1.1× per additional occupant | $50 per application | 661+ on VantageScore 3.0 — and their own page says some properties differ | Wants positive (not neutral) references from your two most recent landlords |
| Rentals In S.F. | — | $50, collected by Able Screening, non-refundable | Runs credit through Able Screening; "does not accept outside credit reports" | Two most recent pay stubs, or two years of tax returns if self-employed; every adult must view the unit in person before applying |
| UDR | 2.5× monthly rent, household gross | $63.90 per adult | "Acceptable credit history … is not solely based on the applicant's credit score." | Guarantors allowed; criminal background check for everyone 18+ |
| AvalonBay (Avalon / AVA) | — | — | Credit report on each applicant | Two government-issued documents. If you have neither an SSN nor an ITIN, the second one should be "a Visa, Green Card, and I-94, NEXUS, SENTRI or Global Entry Card" |
Sources, all fetched 2026-08-31: RentSFNow FAQ · Mosser FAQ · GPM · Advent · Rentals In S.F. · UDR. The AvalonBay quote comes from a resident-selection document filed with the City that is marked revised 12/2018 — old enough that we flag it rather than treat it as current policy.
What the law fixes, so you know what is normal
- Application fees are capped. California Civil Code §1950.6: "In no case shall the amount of the application screening fee charged by the landlord or their agent be greater than thirty dollars ($30) per applicant" — but that $30 "may be adjusted annually … commensurate with an increase in the Consumer Price Index, beginning on January 1, 1998". That indexing is why the real fees above run $35 to $63.90 rather than $30.
- You can ask for the credit report you paid for. Same section: if you paid a screening fee, the landlord "shall provide a copy of the consumer credit report to the applicant … within seven days".
- An unused fee comes back. If they never pulled a report or checked a reference, they "shall return any amount of the screening fee that is not used".
- The deposit is capped at one month's rent. Civil Code §1950.5(c), effective 1 January 2026. A landlord who is a natural person, or an LLC whose members are all natural persons, owning no more than two residential properties with four or fewer units total, may take up to two months.
California Civil Code §1950.6 and §1950.5, read 2026-09-05. This is the statute, not legal advice — we are a software company, not a law firm.
Guarantor services, and their catch
TheGuarantors answers "Yes" to whether international travellers, expats and foreign students can be approved, and says "We only run soft credit checks, which do not affect your credit score." The premium is "a one time, non-refundable fee", priced on your rent, the coverage the operator wants and your financial profile — they publish no percentage, so neither do we.
Leap sells the same shape of product — "No credit impact. No co-signer required." — and you apply either on their site or through a link from the property. Their own pages do not state the fee; we could not source it, so we do not print a number.
The catch is the same for both: the building has to accept the service. TheGuarantors' own FAQ answers the "does every building take this?" question with "No, not every building—but many do." Confirm with the leasing office before you pay a guarantor anything.
TheGuarantors renter FAQ and Leap's renter page, both read 2026-09-05.
The folder to have ready before you apply
- Proof you can pay, in whichever form you actually have: recent pay stubs, an offer letter, tax returns, or bank statements. Gordon Property Management names all four in writing; if your landlord's page names only pay stubs, ask before assuming an offer letter is refused.
- Two government-issued IDs. A passport covers the photo-ID half. Without an SSN or ITIN, AvalonBay's document names a visa, green card, I-94, NEXUS, SENTRI or Global Entry card for the second half.
- An ITIN if you have one — RentSFNow accepts SSN or ITIN in the same sentence.
- Past-landlord contacts. Two managers above ask for them by name, and one wants the references to be positive rather than neutral.
- Time to tour. Two of the seven require every adult applicant to see the unit in person before the application, which rules out applying from abroad at those two.
Which route fits your situation
The seven managers above disagree on details, and the detail that matters is the one that matches you. Each row points at the sentence on their page that decides it.
| Your situation | What clears the gate | Where it is written | What can still stop you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Job offer, no US pay stubs yet | The offer letter itself | Gordon Property Management lists an offer letter alongside pay stubs, tax returns and bank statements | A manager whose page names only pay stubs (Rentals In S.F. asks for your two most recent) — ask before you pay the fee |
| Income short of the multiple | A guarantor, or a guaranty service | Mosser: a guarantor must show 5× the rent; TheGuarantors: soft credit check only | The building has to accept the service — TheGuarantors' own FAQ says not every building does |
| Savings, no US income | Savings standing in for income | Mosser's FAQ says savings can stand in for income | The other six publish no savings rule, so at those you are asking for an exception |
| Applying from abroad | A manager that takes applications without an in-person tour | Five of the seven publish no tour requirement | RentSFNow and Rentals In S.F. require every adult to view the unit in person before applying |
| No SSN and no ITIN | A visa, green card, I-94, NEXUS, SENTRI or Global Entry card as the second ID | AvalonBay's resident-selection document | RentSFNow's form asks for an SSN or ITIN; there, the ITIN is the thing to have |
| Credit file exists but is thin or poor | A written explanation | Gordon: "If your credit history is less than ideal, please tell us why."; UDR: acceptable credit is not based on the score alone | Advent publishes a 661+ VantageScore 3.0 floor for some properties |
If you are on an H-1B or L-1 with a start date
Your strongest document is the offer letter, and the manager to read first is one that names it. Bring the letter, your passport and your visa; if the page asks for "two most recent pay stubs" and you have none, ask the leasing office in writing whether the letter is accepted before paying the application fee, because §1950.6 only refunds the part of the fee they did not use.
If you are an F-1 or J-1 student
Two managers write down a guarantor route: Mosser wants the guarantor at 5× rent, and TheGuarantors says international students can be approved on a soft check. Mosser also lets savings stand in for income, which is the sentence that fits a funded student. Expect the deposit to be one month, or two if you are approved with conditions.
If you are still abroad
Rule out the two managers that require an in-person viewing before you spend time on their listings. For the rest, the folder below can be assembled from where you are; the piece you cannot produce from abroad is a US-address ID, which AvalonBay's list works around with a visa or I-94.
How we checked
- Every rule above is quoted from the manager's own public page, read on 2026-08-31, and linked next to the table. We do not paraphrase a rule into a stronger one.
- The statute lines come from California Civil Code §1950.5 and §1950.6, read 2026-09-05. Laws change; this is where they stood on that date.
- The listing counts are our own corpus, measured 2026-09-14 across 5,625 listings. They describe what landlords write, not what they decide.
- Landlords make exceptions and policies change. Where a page says nothing, we say "not published" rather than guessing.
- Nobody named here pays us. We take no referral fee from managers, guarantors or brokers.
Common questions
Can I rent an apartment in the US with no credit history?
Yes, and the route is documentary rather than persuasive. No credit file means the landlord cannot verify you the usual way, so you replace it: income documents that clear their stated multiple, a guarantor, or a guaranty service the building accepts. Of the seven San Francisco managers whose rules we read, one publishes no minimum credit score at all and invites a written explanation, and another states that acceptable credit history is not based on the score alone.
What documents do I need for a rental application in the US?
Two government-issued IDs, proof of income in a form the landlord names, and contacts for previous landlords. Which income documents count varies and it is written down: Gordon Property Management accepts pay stubs, an offer letter, tax returns or bank statements; Rentals In S.F. asks for your two most recent pay stubs, or two years of tax returns if you are self-employed. Read the manager's page rather than guessing, because a rejected form of proof is the most common avoidable failure.
What do San Francisco landlords require from international applicants with no SSN or credit score?
Across the seven managers we read, none makes an SSN the gate. RentSFNow accepts an SSN or an ITIN. AvalonBay's document says that if you have neither, your second document should be a visa, green card, I-94, NEXUS, SENTRI or Global Entry card. What every one of them does gate on is income: multiples run from 2.2× after-tax to 3× gross, and Advent adds 1.1× for each additional occupant.
Can I use a guarantor or cosigner service to rent without US credit?
Often, if the building takes it. TheGuarantors says international travellers, expats and foreign students can be approved and that it runs soft credit checks only, with a one-time non-refundable premium. Leap sells a comparable product. Both are gated by the property: TheGuarantors' FAQ says plainly that not every building participates. Ask the leasing office first, because the premium is not refundable.
How do I make my rental application stand out in San Francisco?
Arrive with the folder complete on the day you tour, since two of the seven managers require an in-person viewing before you may apply at all. Bring income proof in a form their page names, both IDs, and past-landlord contacts — Advent wants those references to be positive rather than neutral. If your income is short of the multiple, raise the guarantor question before you pay the application fee, not after.
Put Roots does this comparison for each listing you are looking at: it reads the requirements the landlord actually wrote, checks them against what you can produce, and shows you the landlord's own sentence and the date we read it. See the no-SSN index for banks and carriers, or open the map.