Why a Guarantor May Not Fix a Broken Lease Denial
A guarantor doesn’t override a community’s broken lease rules. We keep track of which communities accept one, so check with us before you pay, and read what the guarantor company covers and leaves out.
What we see in our searches
If a community won’t take a guarantor, switch to ones that might. Rebuilding your list around those is often the quickest fix.
Check with us before you pay any guarantor fee. We ask communities if they take a guarantor with a broken lease, and we keep track of the answers. That can save you asking the leasing office yourself.
If a guarantor isn’t the answer, we look for communities that approve on income alone, take a higher deposit or take a second applicant.
A guarantor doesn’t cancel out every rule
A guarantor or similar program may cover certain losses under its contract. It doesn’t make a community overlook a broken lease, an unpaid balance or any other screening rule.
Communities differ on which guarantor companies they take, and we keep track of that too. Getting approved by a guarantor company and getting approved for a lease are two separate decisions.
What we check before you pay
- Which of the community’s requirements you don’t meet yet.
- Whether it will look at your application with a guarantor company behind it.
- Which guarantor companies it accepts.
- What other deposits or conditions you’d still need.
Read what’s covered and what you still owe
What’s covered depends on the agreement: which losses count, the limits and what’s left out. Don’t assume every missed payment is covered. A payment by the guarantor company doesn’t wipe out what you owe.
A guarantor company usually costs about one month’s rent. Refund rules differ. OneApp refunds its fee if you don’t move in. TheGuarantors refunds before move in only if the landlord confirms in writing that the lease was canceled or never signed, and it keeps $100. Liberty Rent doesn’t post a refund rule for its access fee, so ask before you pay.
Look at another path if a guarantor won’t work
Sometimes a different unit is the answer. Don’t pay a higher fee thinking it will buy you an exception.
The community makes the final call, based on its current screening rules and what your application shows.
Want help with your own search?
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