[Terry]

In the big apartment complexes run by 20 year old bureaucratic-minded community college graduates, you will quite likely have a tough time convincing them to do something that is not in the book.

You’ll do better to stick with small apartment complexes or check the paper for rental condos. You will either be dealing directly with the owner or with someone who manages only a few units for absentee owners.

Be neat and clean looking, wash the car, don’t go with beer on your breath, and stress that you need a quiet place to negate their fears of loud stereos and wild parties. When they ask how you intend to pay the rent, casually pull a very large wad of cash from your pocket and just kind of shrug, as if it was the only possible answer.

If they mention credit check, tell them “Save the money. I don’t have any credit.” They expect you to pay for the credit report but most of the part-time rental manager / handyman types just pocket the cash, never running the report anyway.