1. Describe your housing needs:

Where do you want to live? (location or area)

Do you want to live alone or with others?

Will children be living with you? (full-time, part-time?)

How much can you afford for rent each month?

Do you need subsidized housing?

Do you need parking or access to public transportation?

Do you need to be on the first floor or to have wheelchair access?

Are you allergic to animals?

Do you want to share food?

Do you want a quiet environment?

Do you have a short-term and long-term plan? (For instance, do you want to plan to own a home in the future?)

How do you want to speak about your lack of a current address to landlords/ property managers?

2. Check your own credit history. Maintaining good credit is important, particularly when the time comes to rent your own apartment or purchase a home. Landlords and mortgage lenders use your credit history to determine whether you will be a reliable tenant or to determine what interest rate you would receive for a mortgage for your home. Monitoring your credit report is also important in these times where identity theft is common. You may order your credit report online free once a year from www.freecreditreport.com, which will give you the reports from the big three reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax, and Transunion.
3. Check your CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information).

If there is a possibility that you have a criminal record—e.g., you have been arrested before, been summoned to court or spent time in jail, a house of corrections, or prison—and you do not have a recent copy of your CORI, ask staff to help you obtain a copy of your CORI.

Know what is on your CORI; make sure it is accurate, make corrections, and prepare a case for why you should receive consideration in spite of the CORI.

4. Provide reliable contact information.

Offer a good phone number that has an answering machine or voice mail. Provide an E-mail address if you have one.

Give a work number if you have one.

Source: Rebecca Muller, Grantworks