There are two options here: online and offline.

Online search. The most popular online resources for finding accommodation are Zillow. Com, apartments.com, hotpads.com, craigslist.com. Here you should keep in mind that the information will not always be up to date, so if you like something, call, clarify and be prepared for the fact that housing may already be available. The most up-to-date information is on craigslist. There you will also find the widest selection of places to live from private individuals.

The standard rental period is usually 12 months (sometimes 9-24 months); if you want to rent a house for a shorter period, it’s better to go on craigslist and negotiate with private owners.

Also, you can look at apartments directly on the sites of apartment complexes, whose names will pop up on Google maps, if you type in a search “apartments”. Often the site already offers an overview of apartments available, with information about the floor plan, floor space and price.

Offline search. Oddly enough, not always all of the current housing can be viewed online, so we go to the fields. Often beautiful photos of apartments on the website may not match the reality, so you need to double-check everything and see for yourself. Decide on the area, google apartment complexes, and go ahead to the leasing offices. Often the apartment complexes themselves advertise on the streets about the availability of apartments for rent.

Requirements for the tenant
Proof of income (income proof). Landlords want to be sure that you are paying your rent. So they will want proof that you are working, stating your level of income. This can be a letter from your manager, a copy of an offer, or a certificate of employment (they make those here, too). Even if you work remotely, it’s still better than nothing.

If you don’t work, the process of finding a place to live can get complicated. In this case, landlords ask for a statement of your bank account, so it is better to put more money there if possible. You should have enough money in your account to cover several months’ rent (how much exactly depends on the landlords’ appetite).

In such a situation another possible solution is to rent a house from a private person, with whom you can negotiate. Do not write an e-mail to the apartment managers with the information that you do not have a job, but you are looking for one, most likely you will be immediately rejected. You need to come in person, look at the house and explain the situation, so you increase your chances.

Landlords may ask for a higher security deposit when you move in than they usually charge. For example, it may be the amount of the rent payment for one or more months. By the way, the deposit is refundable. It is charged to ensure that, for example, if you break something in the apartment, you could simply deduct the amount of repairs from the deposit.

Credit history. Landlords will check your credit history. If you have just moved in, you certainly do not have it yet. In large cities with a high influx of immigrants this is calm, and as a guarantee of your solvency is the same deposit.

Rent history. This is like credit history, but with a rental history. Your potential landlord will need to have information about you – if you have had delinquencies in previous places, if you have been evicted, if there are any problems with you, if the landlord has sued you, etc. It’s clear that if you’ve just arrived, you have no rental history. But you’re used to that by now.

I know cases where guys who came to work for Microsoft or Amazon, went looking for housing, the landlord saw where they were working, and only asked to pay the standard deposit of a few hundred dollars. But that’s true of the big well-known companies, and it’s not always and everywhere.

Checking your credit and rental history is called a background check, which the manager/owner performs when you have already made a positive decision about renting a particular home and apply for it. For processing the application, including background check, you pay, usually 35-45 dollars per person (the price for apartments in apartment complexes). Even if you just crossed the U.S. border for the first time a week ago, and you do not and cannot have any credit or rental history, still do a background check, it is standard practice.

It is also necessary to understand that the size of housing depends on the number of people living. For example, a family of 3 to a 1-bedroom apartment will settle, and the 4th is unlikely.