my boyfriend and i currently occupy a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment at about $800/mo. i'm the only one on the lease. we were planning on buying a house in january but decided to move into a cheaper apartment to save money and get some other things together for another year first.

i need some advice and you guys are the only people i knew to ask. i'm not sure if anyone has experience w/ this but it's worth a shot.

my boyfriend isn't on the lease at our apartment because... he's a convicted felon. when he was 18 he did some REALLY stupid stuff that landed him some prison time and while he's changed his whole life NOW, his past still has some bearing on where we live, etc. at the new place, however, i want him on the lease. problem is i don't want to call EVERY apartment place in town and ask if they do a background check. so, is there a resource for these sorts of things? some sort of ex-con web site?

any help would be appreciated. thx

I use to work for a property management co. here in California. We did not do background checks . We verified current employment and past rental history. I don't know why the fact that he's a felon should even come up unless you tell them. Good luck!

most places here run background checks before move in.



I use to work for a property management co. here in California. We did not do background checks . We verified current employment and past rental history. I don't know why the fact that he's a felon should even come up unless you tell them. Good luck!

Hi Rebeccak67,
Welcome to Pto! Most if not all places do back ground checks here in AZ. Unless its a real slumlord place! My best bet would be both of you go into the office and be straight up with them. Tell them he hasnt been in trouble for awhile and he is doing better to take care of his family. He has made bad choices in the past but has learned from them and wants to move on. But at least you tried but then you never know unless you try!
Good Luck Truly Patty

I just went through this myself. Every place we looked at does background checks now.

thanks for the welcome. :)

i think i'll rent a private place - rented out by a realtor or something.

There is a place on 12th street and Indian school in phoenix that helps place felons and even helps with employment I can't think of the name I'm going to go try to find it for you. I hope this can give you hope.
Jbaby

I manage apartments, and the best thing I can tell you to do is first see if you can find a property that is not crime free. There are still a few that are still nice. Second, if that does'nt work, I would go in and talk with the MANAGER. Explain your situation and maybe they will let it slide. It all depends on the Company... Also, realitors check background too, however it is possible to find private owners who you could talk to and it would be their call, they could make the choice on their own. Gook Luck...

I heard of a place in sunnyslope that our family owned apartments and they accept ex offenders you can call st. vincent de paul in phoenix and ask to speak to alexandra, shes a case worker there, they are the ones that told me about it but I cant remember what the name of the place was

As a former apartment manager in Phoenix, my suggestion would be to call one of the Apartment Finders in the phone book, ask the parole office for the city you guys want to live in, or call St. Vincent DePaul. We did background checks where I was a manger, but we only went back 7 years. How long has it been for your boyfirend? If all else fails, call Community Information and Referral 602-263-8856 and ask if they can help(They are also located on the web at www.cirs.org (http://www.cirs.org)) or the CONTACTS office in Phoenix (I probably have the number if you need it) They might be able to help you. Try to look for private homes for rent too, very often the landlords only do verifications of your income and past rental history/payment history. Some don't want to be bothered with doing background checks...it simply costs them too much money.

I wish you luck and the earlier you start searching the better. There are probably waiting lists to get into some of them. :(

Good luck!!

Cheryl:broken:

What can they do if they dont have it in writting in your lease ya they told me the do back ground checks verbally but usually they have to put it in writting or dont mean crap

Please some one tell me what u think

I am in the same situation, what is aweful is this crime free environment. There is an apartment locater, but he will put you guys in a not so good neighborhood. That is not fair. They should have the right to live wherever they want. I live in a crime free environment, and anthony can't live here. Like there is no crime going on over here. And the silliest thing is one of his ex cellies is my neighbor. How did that happen? When I asked if he could live here they said no. Lease is up in October. Arizona and their petty laws.

I am struggling with the same problem, theres low income housing programs that allow ex offenders depending on the crime. If its any domestic violence or drug related they wont but anything else is usually ok. My fiancee just happend to have both of those so we are having a hard time getting anywhere.

I am also looking into an apartment. I was convicted of a state jail felony in TX when I was 16, and they convicted me as an adult at 17. It has been about 5.5 years since my conviction. I am 22 now.

I like the apartment complex because it doesn't have much if any crime at all. I am tired of having to live in places where the agency doesn't tell you about the two murders that happened in your building last month.

Anyway, For those of you who manage apartment complexes, If I have my father rent the apartment, and they put my name on the lease, will they do a background check? Should I tell them upfront? They mentioned something to me when I picked up an application that they would automatically disqualify someone with a felony conviction in the last 7 years.

So, being that I am not the principle on the lease, do they care? Will they check? What should I do? I am now a student in a great college, making good grades, and I have pretty much kept my nose clean since. Does this help?

Anybody, your advice is much appreciated!

write a letter that talks about your rehabilitation and that you are asking for a chance, that you know you made some mistaked but your are fully rehabilitated, to that sort

The name of the program in phoenix is one step closer. They are located at 4150 12th St, they have signs up. It is North of Indian School Rd. Hope this helps.

I wante to say that this forum really helped me. I am a felon who has been down here for almost 6 years now and have been out of jail for that same amount of time. I have been having problems finding a decent place to live because of my past. Most of the places I have lived have been renting a room from a friend here and there. I am not on Parole but still have a Felony that holds me back from lots of things. I now have a Bachelors Degree and have had three really good jobs since I have gotten out. I have friends who back me up 100% which makes me feel good about who I am, which is important. I have done wrong in the past and have changed who I am. I no longer do what I have done and have made a commitment to myself to not let it get me down.

I want to say to everyone on this board to keep their chin up and focus on the future and don't do what they have done again. Thanks everyone.:)

Hey there othrower...welcome to PTO and the Arizona Forum...so glad to hear things are going well for you!!! Glad to have you here!!!

Hi and welcome to the Arizona forum- we're glad to have you with us!! :)

Hey I Heard Now I Havent Checked Into It But Am Told That They Passed A Law That They Cant Disciminate Against You If You Were Incarcerated (prison) Including S/o's As Long As They Know What Your In For And Rehabilitated They Cant Discriminate Now Any One Knows How To Check On That Be A Great Idea If We Can Check Up On That

Hi, I haven't heard about that law but that would be nice since alot of these guys have a tough time finding somewhere to live when they get out. Most of the apartment complexes in Mesa won't take felons because of the 'crime free housing' as far as I know, but if you hear anything new about that, let us know. Thanks for the info. :)