Broken Lease Guides
Our broken lease guides cover screening, rental debt, paperwork and guarantor companies. Start with the question on your mind. Then use our checklists and planning tools before you pay another application fee.
Broken lease basics
Broken Lease vs Eviction: What Screening Can Show
A broken lease and an eviction aren’t the same, and screening treats them differently. Here’s how to sort out the debt, any court filing and how a case ended.
How Long Does a Broken Lease Stay on Rental History?
How long does a broken lease stay on rental history? See how the records in your reports differ from the rules a community uses on your application.
Rental Screening Companies: What Renters Should Check
Rental screening companies pull from different sources. Find the company named on your notice and look at the report they ran on you.
How to Check Your Rental Screening Reports
How to check your rental screening reports: find the reporting company, then look over account details and how any court case ended before you dispute an error.
Is a Broken Lease Apartment Locator Really Free?
We’re a broken lease apartment locator, and we’re free to renters. See how referral fees pay us and which costs from the apartment or other companies are still yours.
What Is an Apartment Risk Fee?
An apartment risk fee is its own charge, apart from your deposit and other fees. Ask what it covers, when it's due and what the cancellation and refund rules are.
Recent Broken Lease (Under 2 Years)
Can I Rent With a Broken Lease Under Two Years Old?
Can you rent with a broken lease under two years old? Here’s what to check before you pay for an application or a guarantor company.
Conditional Apartment Approval With a Risk Fee
Got conditional apartment approval with a risk fee? Get the conditions, total charges and payment terms in writing before you decide what to do.
How to Write a Letter of Explanation for a Broken Lease
How to write a factual letter of explanation for a broken lease: what happened, what’s changed since, and which records back it up.
Rent Now or Wait After a Broken Lease?
Deciding whether to rent now or wait after a broken lease? Compare what you need, what each choice costs and the screening rules communities actually use.
Should I Settle My Broken Lease Before Applying?
Thinking about settling a broken lease before you apply? Here are two plain rules for when to settle first and when to skip it, plus the paperwork to keep.
Why Apartments May Deny a Recent Broken Lease
Here's why apartments may deny a recent broken lease under their screening rules. See how to check your records and when a person can review your file.
Older Broken Lease (2+ Years)
Can I Rent With a Broken Lease Over 3 Years Old?
A broken lease over three years old clears many lookback windows, but an unpaid balance can still matter. Here’s what to gather and how we search.
Paid vs Unpaid Older Broken Leases: What to Ask
A paid vs unpaid older broken lease may get looked at differently. Here’s how the balance and your rental history since then play into each community’s rules.
What Is a Rental Lookback Window?
A rental lookback window is part of a community's screening rules. Here's what to ask, and why a broken lease can still show on your report after it.
Paid or Settled Broken Lease
How to Get a Paid in Full or Zero Balance Letter
How to ask for a paid in full or zero balance letter for rental debt. See what it should say and what it does and doesn’t prove.
Paid vs Settled Rental Debt: Documents to Request
Paid vs settled rental debt, and the documents that show your account status. Paid in full means you paid the whole balance; settled means they accepted less.
Will an Apartment Accept My Rental Debt Settlement Letter?
A settlement letter may help your apartment application, but communities differ. Here’s what the letter needs to say and when you need proof the settlement is fully paid.
Broken Lease in Collections
Can I Rent With a Broken Lease in Collections?
You may be able to rent with a broken lease in collections. Here’s how communities look at rental debt and what to gather before you apply.
Does Paying a Collection Reset Its Reporting Period?
A paid collection can stay on your credit report, and paying doesn’t restart its reporting period. Here’s which dates, status and records to check.
National Credit Systems and IQ Data: Rental Debt Questions
Have rental debt with National Credit Systems or IQ Data? Check the account, ask for details in writing and read the terms before you think about settling.
Rental Collections vs Other Collections
Rental collections vs other collections can raise different screening questions. Here’s how communities can look at the type of debt, the balance and where the account stands now.
Should I Pay a Broken Lease Collection Before Applying?
Does paying off a broken lease collection help approval? Check that the debt is right first. Then see what paying or settling can change at different communities.
Texas Rental Debt Statute of Limitations: What to Check
Texas rental debt can raise statute of limitations questions. Here's why you should check your own case before you count on the general four year deadline for debt lawsuits.
Broken Lease With No Rental History Since
Income and Employment After a Broken Lease
From what we see, most communities want income of about 3 times the rent after a broken lease. Here’s how your job counts and which records to have ready.
How to Document Private Landlord or Roommate Rent Payments
Show rent paid to a private landlord or roommate with payment records to the same person, receipts and a rental reference. Many communities want 12 months.
Renting After a Broken Lease: How to Document a Gap in Rental History
Renting after a broken lease with no rental history since? Write down an honest timeline of where you lived, and gather the payment records, references and income papers you have.
Third Party Guarantor for Broken Leases
Guarantor Fees and Move In Costs: What to Compare
Compare guarantor fees with a higher deposit and everything else due when you move in. Add up the upfront charges and later installments in your written quotes.
OneApp, Liberty Rent and TheGuarantors: A Texas Comparison
Compare OneApp, Liberty Rent and TheGuarantors for a Texas rental search: how fees differ, how refunds work and what you’d owe before you pay.
How a Third Party Guarantor Works After a Broken Lease
Here’s how a guarantor company works after a broken lease, from the income rule and provider review to the agreement and what you still owe.
Why a Guarantor May Not Fix a Broken Lease Denial
A guarantor may not fix a broken lease denial. We keep track of which communities accept one. Here’s what to check about the guarantor company before you pay.
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