When a guarantor helps.
If your income or credit is still building, a guarantor can stand behind your lease so you qualify, and knowing what they agree to helps you ask the right person.
They back the rent, not the home.
A guarantor agrees to cover the rent if you cannot, which can help you qualify when your income or credit falls short, but they do not live in the home.
Their own verification, their own commitment.
A guarantor verifies their own identity and income and usually meets a higher income-to-rent threshold, since they take on a real financial commitment for you.
What you can do.
Ask whether the landlord accepts a guarantor before you apply, then choose someone whose income comfortably meets the requirement and who understands the commitment they are making. Add them to your application early so their verification runs alongside yours, and make sure they are ready to complete their own secure login and confirm their details.
More from the renter help center.
Pet applications for rental properties
If the home allows pets, add yours with a few details, and verifying them up front means fewer surprises about pet rules, deposits, or fees later.
ESA letters and rental housing
Service animals and emotional-support animals are not pets, and the Fair Housing Act protects your right to live with one.
Rental application glossary
Renting comes with its own vocabulary, so here are clear definitions for the words you are most likely to meet on an application, from FCRA to income-to-rent.