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Finding a place, signing without fear, knowing your rights and what to do about an eviction. It covers deposits, repairs, discrimination and what a landlord may ask you about your status.
Stage 1 of 4
What to settle first: papers, accounts and how housing works here.
1 guide in this stage
Featured guide 12 minute read
Renting your first apartment after arriving with parole, a pending asylum case or TPS: what landlords ask for, what to offer, your rights and free help.
The most important thing
Landlords check credit, rental and job reports; with no U.S. history, offer proof of income, savings and references.
Verified on October 31, 2026
The data behind these guides
The guides on Renting cite these figures. They update when their sources publish new ones; what you see here is current.
See all the dataSources: HUD (Fiscal year 2027) · U.S. Census Bureau (Average 2020–2024)
Stage 2 of 4
Finding a place, signing with confidence and knowing what a landlord can and cannot ask you.
24 guides in this stage
Featured guide Essential guide 10 minute read
How to apply for a Section 8 voucher: where to apply, how waiting lists and preferences work, the papers you need and what changes for a mixed family.
The most important thing
You apply at a local housing agency when it opens its list; you can get on several lists.
Verified on November 6, 2026
Essential guide How to rent without a Social Security number or credit What a landlord can ask for, what to offer instead of an SSN and credit, how much rent fits your income and your rights if you are turned down. 11 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 
Essential guide How to avoid rental scams: the signs and what to do The signs of a fake rental listing, what never to pay up front, what not to share before you sign and where to report, according to the FTC and CFPB. 12 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 
How to apply for public housing: who qualifies and what you pay How to apply for public housing: where you apply, who qualifies, what the application asks, waiting lists and preferences, and how your rent is set. 9 min read Verified on November 6, 2026 
Emergency rental assistance: how it works and what to bring How to get help with back rent or utility bills: who offers it today, what papers to bring, how long it takes and what to do if you have an eviction case. 9 min read Verified on November 6, 2026 
Affordable-housing lotteries and LIHTC apartments: how to apply How affordable-housing lotteries (like NYC Housing Connect) and tax-credit (LIHTC) apartments work: who qualifies, what they cost and how to apply. 9 min read Verified on November 6, 2026 Stage 2 of 4
Keep going with the other guides on renting, from the most read to the most specific.
Featured guide 10 minute read
What happens to your lease, deposit and voucher if the owner sells or loses the building to foreclosure, and the federal 90-day notice.
The most important thing
A regular sale does not end your lease: the new owner is bound by it, unless the lease says otherwise.
Verified on October 31, 2026
Subletting or adding a roommate to your lease How to add someone to your lease, when you can sublet, what the rules say in HUD-assisted housing and what to put in an agreement between roommates. 11 min read Verified on October 31, 2026 
Service and support animals in your home: what the law says Service animal or emotional support animal: what changed in HUD's guidance, what the ADA requires in public housing and what online certificates are worth. 10 min read Verified on October 31, 2026 
If your landlord ignores repairs: how to request an inspection When the landlord does not answer or fix things: who inspects your home, how to request a code inspection, what happens next and how the law protects you. 10 min read Verified on October 31, 2026 
Reasonable accommodations and modifications if you have a disability What you can ask a landlord for because of a disability under the Fair Housing Act: rule changes, physical changes, assistance animals and complaints. 13 min read Verified on October 31, 2026 
Lead, mold and pests in the home you rent or buy What you must be told about lead paint before you rent or buy, how to handle mold and bed bugs, and what to do if your home is making your family sick. 12 min read Verified on October 31, 2026 Stage 2 of 4
Keep going with the other guides on renting, from the most read to the most specific.
Featured guide 11 minute read
Renting for the first time as a student or young adult: the budget, a cosigner, roommates, renters insurance and the student rules for low-cost housing.
The most important thing
Do the full budget before you sign: rent, utilities, deposit, the move and insurance.
Verified on October 31, 2026
Getting your security deposit back when you move out A move-out plan: what to do before giving notice, the move-out inspection, photos, returning keys and the letter to request your deposit if it is late. 11 min read Verified on October 31, 2026 
Breaking a lease early: your options and protections What happens if you leave before your lease ends, how to negotiate your way out and the protections for servicemembers (SCRA) and survivors of violence. 11 min read Verified on October 31, 2026 
Your lease explained: what to check before you sign What a lease is, which clauses to read before you sign, the lead paint disclosure, your fair housing rights and where to get free help. 15 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 
Your immigration status and your landlord: what they can ask What a landlord may ask about your immigration status, what protects you, which states ban those questions and what to do if you are threatened. 10 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 
Sharing a home: occupancy limits and who signs the lease How many people can live in a home, when an occupancy limit discriminates against families with children, and what to know before subletting. 11 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 Tools
The calculators these guides use. Each one leaves you with a result you can use today.
The rent that fits your budget.
What you get → rent that fits
The steps and periods of an eviction in your state.
What you get → steps and days
What your state's law says about the deposit, notices and repairs.
What you get → your state's rule, with its citation
Everything you pay before you get the keys.
What you get → move-in cash
Stage 2 of 4
Keep going with the other guides on renting, from the most read to the most specific.
Featured guide 14 minute read
What a security deposit is, how much a landlord may charge in your state, what can be deducted, when it must be returned and where to complain if it isn't.
The most important thing
The deposit is yours: the landlord only holds it and, when you move out, returns it minus the deductions the law allows.
Verified on October 17, 2026
Section 8 and mixed-status families: how it works How the Section 8 voucher works, how aid is prorated in a mixed-status family, how to apply through your housing agency and what HUD proposed. 12 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 
Repairs as a renter: how to ask and what to do Which repairs fall on the landlord, how to request them in writing, when to call your city's code inspectors and the risks of withholding rent. 13 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 
Renters insurance: what it covers and how to file a claim What renters insurance covers, why it leaves out floods, actual cash value vs. replacement cost, liability coverage and how to file a claim. 13 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 
Rental help and public charge: what the rules say What public charge is, what changed in September 2026, whether housing help counts, and where to find rent help and free advice. 10 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 
Landlord retaliation: what protects you and how to prove it If your rent went up, a service was cut or your landlord wants you out because you complained: what state laws say and how to keep proof. 12 min read Verified on October 17, 2026 Stage 3 of 4
The most common scams, the laws that protect you and who to turn to when something is off.
2 guides in this stage
Featured guide 14 minute read
How VAWA protects you in federally assisted housing: no denial or eviction for being a victim, Form HUD-5382 and emergency transfers to a safe home.
The most important thing
VAWA protects survivors of any sex in public housing, Section 8 and other federally assisted programs.
Verified on October 31, 2026
Stage 4 of 4
What to do first if you cannot pay, if you face eviction or if a disaster damaged your home.
2 guides in this stage
Featured guide 12 minute read
If your landlord changed the locks, removed your things or cut off water or power to make you leave: what several states' laws say and what to do today.
The most important thing
According to the CFPB, your landlord cannot force you out by changing the locks without a court order, even if you owe rent.
Verified on October 17, 2026
Frequently asked questions
Short answers taken from the guides on this topic; each one links the guide that explains it with its sources.
At a public housing agency. You don't need to live in its area to apply, but if you lived elsewhere when you applied, it may require you to live there for the first 12 months. HUD suggests applying to several lists because they are usually long.
Read the full guideThe notice is the first step, not the last. Your state's rules say how many days each kind of notice gives and what happens next; in general, the landlord has to file a lawsuit and a judge has to rule. Use those days to talk to the landlord, apply for assistance and call legal aid.
Read the full guideIt depends on the state. In California, the law prohibits a landlord from asking about your immigration status or requiring you to state it, but allows them to request documents to verify your identity and ability to pay. Nationwide, the Fair Housing Act prohibits refusing to rent to you because of your national origin. If you think you were treated differently because of your origin, keep the messages and find free legal aid.
Read the full guideSearch the address online together with their name, check whether the property appears on the website of the company they claim to represent, and look up your city or county tax assessment records, which show whose name the property is in. Then ask to see their ID. If they make excuses about showing you the place, walk away.
Read the full guideThe full path with its steps in order, the calculators these guides use, and the agencies their rules come from.
The full path
This topic is part of a path with steps in order, so you know what to do first. Prices, rights and how to avoid scams. 8 steps in order.
See the pathEvery rule, number and date in these guides comes from what these agencies publish. Each guide links the exact page.
and 48 more official sources
How we make the guidesSwitch topics without leaving the library.
