What if I don't have enough money for rent?
Contact Your Landlord
Every state has a housing agency or authority that administers HUD programs that help pay rent. To find out if you qualify and how to apply for rental assistance, contact your local housing authority. HUD's website lists every state's housing agency contact information.
Contact your state's 211 program to find emergency help paying your rent. Each state has its own eligibility rules. Call 211 or search for state and local emergency rental assistance programs.
Here's an idea of the ideal rent for different salaries based on the 30% rule: If you make $30,000 a year, you can afford to spend $750 a month on rent. If you make $40,000 a year, you can afford to spend $1,000 a month on rent.
If you can't meet basic living expenses between savings, pension, a part time job, and social security, consider moving into a smaller place or to an area with lower cost of living. Another thought if things seem bleak: at some point, you might qualify for low-income housing, food stamps and/or other services.
Seek Emergency Assistance
Many state, local and tribal organizations have resources to help renters in a tight spot. Check with your local or state government offices or search online to see what's available in your area. You can also contact local nonprofits and community programs directly.
Subsidized housing and housing choice vouchers
In subsidized housing, the government pays apartment owners to offer reduced rents to tenants with low incomes. To apply for subsidized housing, search for a participating subsidized housing community using the HUD map .
How to show proof of income for rental applications if paid in cash? If an applicant is unable to provide bank statements or pay stubs due to cash payments, providing your tax documents that show your annual income should suffice along with one of the other ways we listed above.
Quick Answer
You can get emergency money through a personal loan, credit card cash advance or payday loan. However, some of these options aren't ideal and can cost you a lot of money. You can also consider asking family or friends for money, using a 0% intro APR credit card or tapping into a HELOC.
Whether you have bad, average or excellent credit, there's probably a lender willing to work with you. Money costs money. A personal loan for rent can help if you're in a bind, but you have to pay interest on what you borrow. And mainstream personal loan rates can run as high as 36%.
How much should I make to pay $1500 rent?
Next, just divide your rent by the percentage you've picked (but remember to convert it to a decimal). So, if you're hoping to pay $1,500 a month and stick to the 30% rule, you'd do: $1,500 / 0.30 * 12 = $60,000. Bingo! That's how much you'd need to earn each month to swing that rent.
$4,000 monthly is how much per hour? If you make $4,000 per month, your hourly salary would be $23.08. This result is obtained by multiplying your base salary by the amount of hours, week, and months you work in a year, assuming you work 40 hours a week.

Living on a budget of $1,200 is doable but a bit difficult. It would depend on where you live (touristy beach areas tend to be more expensive overall), how much your rent is, and what your lifestyle is. If you shop and eat out like a local, you can live cheaply.
- Liquidate Your Assets. ...
- Take on Odd Jobs. ...
- Track Down Loose Change. ...
- Organize a Garage Sale. ...
- Tap Your Retirement Account. ...
- Part With Your Plasma. ...
- Borrow Money From Friends or Family.
If you're struggling to pay what you owe, contact your creditors immediately. Some may offer customized repayment plans that can reduce your monthly bills, lower your interest rates or waive fees and penalties.
- Trust funds.
- Credit unions.
- Councils.
- Energy providers.
- The Government.
- Charities.
If you don't make your rent payment on time, your rental agreement should spell out quite clearly what will happen. Laws vary from state-to-state, but it's very likely a late payment will cost you – first in additional fees, and eventually in a potential eviction.
Try talking to your landlord. Let them know what's happened, and make it clear that, unfortunately, affording rent will be an ongoing problem. You can ask the landlord to let you out of the lease or allow you to assign your lease to someone else.
Yes, it's possible to rent an apartment without a traditional job by providing alternative income proof, enlisting a co-signer or guarantor, or offering additional security deposits.
- Talk to your landlord. Explain your situation and ask for more time to pay, an installment plan and/or waived late fees. ...
- Tap into assistance programs. ...
- Call 211. ...
- Ask for help. ...
- Modify living arrangements. ...
- Seek advice.
What to do when nobody will rent to you?
- Identify Why It Feels Like No One Will Rent to You. ...
- Improve Your Apartment Viewing Etiquette. ...
- Write a Letter to Your Potential Lessor. ...
- Secure a Guarantor.
House hack
House hacking involves owning real estate, like a multi-bedroom apartment, and living in one room while renting out the rest. Renting rooms will offset the cost of your mortgage payments and other housing costs. If done successfully, you can live rent free in your home, or even generate some extra money.
The best ways for tenants to pay rent are certified payment methods. These are trackable methods that are more easily verifiable. Some methods are physical paper payment, such as cashier's checks, bank drafts, certified checks, and money orders, while others are online.
LLs in CA CANNOT require that you pay rent with cash unless you have bounced a check in the past 3 months. The clause in the lease isn't legal. Thus, you cannot be required to pay in cash. All LLs are required to be willing to accept a check, money order, or cashier's check.
Use a voucher.You can use a Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) to pay for all or part of the rent. To apply: contact a public housing agency in your state or across the country.