Just graduated? You have no rental history. But you have an offer letter, savings, and references. Here is how to use them.
Get Verified. Build Your Application ProfileLandlords want rental history to prove you are a reliable tenant. You have none because you have never rented before. Meanwhile, your income is entry-level (often just starting), your credit history is thin (cards opened in college), and your employment is brand new.
The solution is not a single magic document. It is a combination of substitutes that together tell a complete story: where you are going (offer letter), how responsible you have been (bank statements, academic references), and who vouches for you (campus housing, professors, co-signer).
Use these together. Each one addresses a different landlord concern.
A signed employment offer letter with your salary, start date, and employer letterhead is accepted by most landlords as income verification. Pair it with 3-6 months of bank statements showing your savings.
Campus housing references (from an RA, housing director, or resident life coordinator) carry real weight as substitutes for landlord references. A letter from a professor who knows you personally is also effective.
Ask a parent or financially stable adult if they are willing to co-sign before you start applying. Knowing you have a co-signer available removes the biggest uncertainty from your search.
Bank statements showing 3-6 months of savings (ideally 3x monthly rent or more) signal financial responsibility to landlords. Even if your income is entry-level, savings demonstrate that you can cover rent if something goes wrong.
6 weeks before graduation
Start researching neighborhoods in your target city. Use Reddit, Walkscore, and employer's city guides to narrow to 3-4 areas.
Graduation week
Sign your job offer. This is your key document. Also get a reference letter from your campus housing office. They issue these routinely for graduating seniors.
4-5 weeks out
Get Settl-verified. Connect your bank and confirm your identity. This creates the portable profile you will use with every application.
3-4 weeks out
Start applying. Target private landlords first. Submit offer letter + bank statements + campus housing reference + Settl verification code. Apply to 3-5 units simultaneously.
2 weeks out
Sign your lease. New graduates often target lease start 1-2 weeks before job start. Gives you time to move and settle before work begins.
Move-in
Document the unit condition at move-in with time-stamped photos sent to the landlord the same day. This protects your security deposit.
Settl into your new home.
Settl verifies your identity and connects to your bank. Showing actual deposit history and income patterns. Even if you have only one paycheck deposited, your offer letter plus bank history together create the income profile landlords need. Get verified before your first apartment tour.
Start Your Profile NowYes. But you need to compensate for no rental history with strong income documentation, professional references, and sometimes a co-signer. A signed job offer letter, 3 months of bank statements showing savings, and a co-signer with strong credit can get you approved at most private landlords.
Landlords accept substitutes for rental history: a reference letter from a dorm RA or campus housing office, reference from a professor or academic advisor, proof of on-time student loan payments, a signed employment offer letter, bank statements showing responsible saving, and a co-signer. Bring multiple references rather than one.
After. Ideally with a signed offer letter in hand. Income is the primary criterion landlords use to approve applications. Without a job or a job offer, you will need a co-signer with sufficient income to qualify alone. Start your apartment search the same week you sign your offer letter.
Yes. A parent, guardian, or other financially stable adult can co-sign your lease. The co-signer typically needs to earn 80x the monthly rent in annual income and have a credit score above 650. This is the most common solution for new graduates who do not yet meet income requirements on their own.
Both help. In different ways. A roommate combines income (so you might clear 3x rent together) but both applicants are screened. A co-signer covers the income gap if you qualify on your own credit but not income. If your credit and income clear the threshold solo, a roommate is simpler. If not, a co-signer is the lower-risk option.
Getting verified before your first apartment tour sets you apart from other new graduates. Landlords who see an organized, verified application take new grads seriously.
A credit score alone can't tell a landlord if you have money today, paid rent on time, or who you actually are. Settl answers every question — and includes a soft-pull credit check so landlords get the full picture in one verified report.
Your landlord never sees your bank account.
When you connect via Plaid, Settl reads your income and generates your verification. Your landlord receives only the verified tier and rent ceiling — never your exact income figure, account numbers, balances, or any raw bank data. Your SSN is never shared.
Soft pull only. Zero score impact.
Landlord-initiated credit checks trigger a hard inquiry and can lower your score. Settl's VantageScore 4.0 check is a soft pull, run by Settl on your behalf. Results go straight into your Passport. No hard inquiry. No score impact.
VantageScore 4.0 via TransUnion
Soft pull · zero score impact · included in every Settl Passport
30-day validity · unlimited landlords · Valid 30 days at any property
Verify once. Apply everywhere.
2 min · Soft pull only