No U.S. credit or SSN, deposit and fee limits, NYC broker fees, your fair housing rights and rental scams.
By Ruben Sevumyants, founder of Pomogu
Renting is harder when you have no U.S. credit history yet. Here is what landlords may ask for, what they may charge and how to protect yourself, based on what state and federal agencies publish.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Landlords may set income and credit requirements, as long as they apply them equally to every applicant.
What a landlord may ask for:
Photo ID and information for a credit check. New York City's Commission on Human Rights says this may include a driver's license or state ID, a passport, an SSN or an ITIN.
Alternatives if you have no SSN. The Commission says insisting on only a passport or only an SSN, and refusing other documents that are enough to run a credit check, may be a cover for discrimination. A landlord also does not need your SSN to open the bank account for your security deposit.
A co-signer or guarantor. Many landlords ask for one. In New York City, a landlord cannot add terms like a co-signer or higher rent because of your immigration status or national origin.
What helps: a job offer letter or pay stubs, bank statements, references from previous landlords (translated if needed) and a valid ID.
A larger deposit is possible only where the law allows it: never above one month's rent in New York, up to 1.5 months in New Jersey and up to two months in the first year in Pennsylvania.
New York
The deposit can't exceed one month's rent, and the landlord can't take last month's rent on top of it. This limit comes from the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 and covers most rentals.
In buildings with six or more apartments, the deposit must earn interest in a New York bank, and you get the interest minus a 1% fee.
For units that are not rent-regulated, the landlord must return the deposit within 14 days after you move out, with an itemized list of any deductions. Without that list, the landlord must return the whole deposit. You can ask for an inspection before you move out and be present.
New Jersey
The maximum is 1.5 times one month's rent. Yearly increases are capped at 10% of the current deposit.
The deposit must earn interest at a New Jersey bank, and within 30 days the landlord must tell you in writing where it is and at what rate.
Within 30 days after your lease ends, the landlord must return the deposit and interest, minus allowed deductions, with an itemized list, by personal delivery or certified or registered mail.
Pennsylvania
First year: no more than two months' rent. From the second year: no more than one month's rent.
When you move out, give your forwarding address in writing and return the keys. Within 30 days, the landlord must return the deposit or send a written list of damages with the rest of the money. If no list arrives in time, the landlord loses the right to keep any part of it.
New York: the most a landlord can charge for a credit and background check is $20, and they must give you a copy of the report and the invoice. You can bring your own check from the past 30 days instead. Extra "key money" for getting an apartment is illegal.
New Jersey: since May 1, 2026, application and similar fees are capped at $50 in total, so a landlord can't split them into "screening" and "administrative" fees. The cap doesn't apply to units in one- or two-family homes, and the state can raise it each year for inflation.
Pennsylvania: the Attorney General says fees are often nonrefundable and should be reasonable. A new state law, Act 67 of 2026, takes effect in late December 2026 and limits fees to what is reasonably related to the landlord's actual costs.
Since June 11, 2025, a broker who works for the landlord, including the agent who posts the listing, cannot charge you a fee. No one can require you to hire a broker to rent an apartment. You can still choose to hire and pay your own broker.
Listings must show every fee you must pay, and before you sign the lease you must get and sign an itemized written list of those fees. The city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) takes complaints. The law applies only in New York City.
Read the whole lease before signing. It should list the address, everyone's names, the rent, due date and late fees, the lease term, the deposit, which utilities you pay and how renewal works.
Have both sides initial any changes, and keep a signed copy.
In New York, lease language must be clear and easy to read. Rent-stabilized tenants in New York City get a signed copy within 30 days plus a rider explaining their rights.
In New Jersey, most landlords must give each new tenant the state's Truth in Renting statement.
New York's Department of Financial Services says the landlord's insurance does not cover your belongings. A renter's policy covers your property, liability if someone gets hurt in your home, and living costs if you must move out during repairs. DFS estimates a basic policy at about $300 a year for around $50,000 of property. Standard policies exclude flood and earthquake.
Federal law bans housing discrimination based on national origin, among other grounds.
New York State also protects citizenship or immigration status and lawful source of income, including Section 8 vouchers. New York City law protects immigration status too.
New Jersey protects national origin, nationality and source of lawful income.
Pennsylvania protects national origin and ancestry, and landlords can't use different criteria, such as different fees or immigration status rules, because of them.
HUD takes complaints within one year. In Pennsylvania, to preserve your fair housing rights, the Attorney General advises filing with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission or HUD.
The FTC warns about these signs:
The "owner" is out of the country, can't show the apartment and rushes you.
You're asked to pay by wire transfer, gift cards or cryptocurrency. That's like sending cash; you probably won't get it back.
The rent is far below others nearby, or the same home is listed for sale.
Someone asks for your SSN or credit score screenshots before you've agreed to rent. Most landlords pull your credit themselves.
Search the address with the owner's name, check the company's own website and see the apartment before you pay or sign. Report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
New York tenants' rights: ag.ny.gov/resources/individuals/tenants-homeowners/tenants
NYC FARE Act (broker fees): nyc.gov/site/dca/about/FAQ-Broker-Fees.page
NYC immigration status protections: nyc.gov/site/cchr/law/protections-based-on-immigration-status-and-national-origin-en.page
NY Division of Human Rights: dhr.ny.gov
NY renter's insurance: dfs.ny.gov/consumers/help_for_homeowners/renters_tenants/renters_insurance
NY rent-regulated apartments: hcr.ny.gov
New Jersey landlord-tenant information: nj.gov/dca/home/landlord-tenant.shtml
New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs: njconsumeraffairs.gov
Pennsylvania tenant guide: attorneygeneral.gov/for-the-public/educational-materials
Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission: pa.gov/agencies/phrc
HUD housing discrimination: hud.gov/reporthousingdiscrimination
FTC fraud reports: reportfraud.ftc.gov
Ruben Sevumyants, Pomogu — pomogusa.com