Applying For A Boston Apartment
Filling Out A Boston Apartment Application
Here's a quick overview on filling out an application on a Boston apartment in case you need a little assistance. After all, this may be your first contact with the landlord so you want to present yourself well.
* In order to follow along with exactly what we're referring to, download a copy of the
Greater Boston Application Form.
Before we go over this one line at a time, let's make sure we have a few things covered:
1. Be sure to use a pen.
2. Use your best pensmanship. If you have indecipherable, chicken-scratch handwriting, consider having someone else fill it out for you. Landlords want to be able to easily read the information you are supplying them.
3. Make sure to write ABOVE THE LINE. This is the most common mistake people make and it leads to a very messy application.
Ok, here we go...
Line 1:
All you need to add here is the date. The "prepared by" field will have your agents name. The "number" field will remain blank.
Line 2:
Write your name (so far so good). For "home phone", simply put the best phone number to reach you at. We encourage applicants to use their cell phone number as most people live with it by their side. Initial at the end of the line.
Lines 3 and 4:
Here we'll be entering your present address. Note that the address will be filled in using both lines 3 and 4 just as it would be on an envelope. The rest of line 3 asks for the date you moved into your current residence (don't worry if you don't know the day, just try and get the month and year), and the date you moved out. Odds are that you are still living there so you can just put the end date as present.
Line 4 asks for your car make and model. This isn't imperitive information but we always like to keep rental applications fully filled out and accurate so go ahead and add that. at the end of line 4 lies what may be the most important part of the Boston rental application; your social security number. We often get asked if this is manditory. It is. We understand that you want to keep your privacy but your social security number is needed in order to run your credit score without which no landlord will accept your application. Don't worry, MA law requires real estate brokerages to keep these records safely filed away. The only other person who will ever see it is your landlord who may also run a credit check.
Line 5:
Here we'll be adding information about your present landlord. This will allow your prospective landlord to contact them and inquire about how you are as a tenant. You may want to contact your landlord and tell them to expect a call. Hopefully you've kept a good relationship so that they will have nothing but rave reviews. The most important sections here are obviously the landlord's name and phone number. If you don't know their address, don't worry, it's not something that anyone needs to know and can be left blank.
Line 6:
Just like on line 5, we're adding old landlord information. Here we'll be entering the contact information for the landlord who owned the property you lived in prior to your current residence. Again, the most important parts here are name and phone number. In the field that reads "occupancy", just write the month/year you moved in and when you moved out (i.e. 9/07 - 08/09).
Lines 7 and 8:
This section of your Boston apartment application is dedicated to your income. First, on line 7, begin by entering the name of the company you work for. The rest of this line is pretty self explanitory, just enter the address and phone number of the business. Next, on line 8, in the "occupation/source of income" section, enter your job title. Next, for "type of business", enter the industry you work in (i.e. real estate, education, retail). For salary, eiether enter the amount you make a year if you are salasried as such, or your average monthly income if you are paid hourly. If you make an hourly rate, it's best to put the average monthly amount because you may work 30 hours a week, you may work 50...it makes a big difference that your landlord won't know about if you simply write $14/hour. Finally, at the end of this line enter how long you've held this current job.
* If you are currently a student and don't have a job, simply write "student" at the beginning of line 7 and leave the rest of that section blank.
Line 9:
Here we'll be entering information about the job you held before your previous position. Begin with the name of the company you worked for then move onto length of employment and their contact information. Again, the address of the company is not as important as the contact number. Your prospective Boston landlord isn't likely to be mailing anything there to inquire about you. If you do know it, enter it. If you don't it isn't the end of the world.
Line 10:
The "personal reference" section usually brings up a few questions. Simply put, use a reference who is sure to give you a good review. It should not be a relative or your roommate. Pick a good friend and let them know that they might be getting a call asking about you. Their name and phone number are what's important here. Again, their address isn't manditory if you don't know it off the top of your head.
Line 11:
Here we're going to enter an emergency contact. Who would you call first if you had a medical emergency? That person goes here along with their contact information.
Line 12:
Usually the very first question we get asked about Boston rental applications is, "What do I put for a credit reference?" The answer is any bill that's in your name and in good standing. Utility, cell phone, cable, car payment...frankly this info will show up on your credit report anyway. This line is just a hold over from years before easy credit checking. Don't worry if you don't know the address and phone number for your credit reference. Know one knows the number for Verizon off the top of their heads...it isn't important.
Lines 13 and 14:
Here you'll be entering the name(s) of the bank you use for your checking and/or savings accounts. You don't need to include the branch address and certainly don't add the account number. Again, this is a hold over from a time when landlords would check your income/holdings through your bank. We deliberately cross this line out before we give the Boston apartment application to a client, but in case you are here simply lookng for instruction, now you know.
Line 15:
List all of your prospective roommates that are applying with you on this apartment. Each person will be filling out their own application, but this helps tie it all together.
The information below this line will be filled out by your real estate agent. Just so you are aware, the section directly below will have the information about the property you are applying for and the section to the lower right will spell out the monthly rent as well as the required deposits.
Lastly, mark either a 'N' or 'Y' where the application asks if you are a convicted felon (right below the aforementioned property information) and sign on the bottom right "Signature" line.
* Additional information you should know pertaining to applying for a Boston apartment:
1. You can not be discriminated against persuant to the MA fair housing laws. If you feel that the prospective landlord has done so, talk to your real estate agent about it and they will tell you what steps to take. Bear in mind, you can be denied application approval based on status as an undergraduate or if your income/credit isn't what the landlord is looking for. As a point of reference, Boston landlords want to see a good credit score (650 and above) and an income equal to roughly three times the total cost of rent for the life of the lease. For example, it the apartment rents for $1,000 a month, that means a one year lease amounts to $12,000. The landlord wants to see that you make three times that which would be $36,000. This can be flexible depending on the landlord, but consider it a standard to go by.
2. When you apply for an apartment in Boston, you are binding yourself to it. This is why you have to put down a deposit with it (usually in the amount of first month's rent). This is to ensure that you aren't applying for a number of different apartments in hopes of renting whichever one you end up choosing. If you are approved for an apartment and then back out, that deposit is forfeit. The landlord has taken the apartment off of the market and most likely denied other applicants becaue they approved you. The deposit becomes payment for damages they received by losing those other prospective tenants to your backing out after approval. In some situations you may also have to pay another month's rent if your real estate agent has done his job according to the agency disclosure you signed before viewing any apartments in Boston. Bear in mind they've done their job and deserve to be paid for it. In order to avoid this, if you decide to back out on an apartment, stick with the same real estate agent and they will just continue your search as if it never stopped (if they are a reputable agent).
