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When you need housing as a felon, you need to brainstorm a bit. Why? Because that felony can be a significant red flag to potential landlords. In other words, you need to think outside of the box to figure out how to get an apartment despite your past.

Luckily, you won’t need to brainstorm much, as this quick guide will offer several insider hacks to finding felon-friendly housing. You’ll see that some of them are pretty clever, and hopefully, they’ll open your eyes to new opportunities if you’ve been down on your luck as of late.

Ways to Find Felon-Friendly Housing With Ease

1. Get help from an expert.

There’s no easier way to find a place as a felon than to solicit an expert’s help. Some services help convicts get a second chance, especially when it comes to housing.

Before you start worrying about how you’ll pay for such a service, know that the legitimate ones get a commission from the community that you sign a lease with. In short, there’s no need to pay out of your pocket.

You can find felony housing experts on Google or Craigslist. If they ask for any money upfront, move on, as it’s probably a scam.

Again, you’re looking for a second chance service that only gets paid if you sign a lease, and that payment does not have to come from you.

2. Look for motels and hotels that offer extended stays.

If you need a place to stay while you perform your search or get acclimated to society, don’t overlook hotels and motels.

Their main benefit is that most will let you rent for an extended stay, and they won’t require a background check. Without a background check, you don’t have to worry about your felony affecting your chances of securing housing.

3. Stay away from property management companies.

The last thing you want to do is waste time and effort during a housing search that’s stressful enough as it is. If you try to deal with a property management group, wasting time is precisely what you’ll do.

Such groups typically handle large apartment communities. They often have strict regulations that prevent felons from living there. Since some places ask you to pay for an application or background check, you’ll waste time here and your money.

If you like some communities that are managed by large companies, you can contact them by phone and ask directly if they accept felons. If not, move on.

4. Get acquainted with Craigslist.

You can find almost anything on Craigslist, and that includes felon-friendly housing. Depending on your location, new properties could get listed every day, giving you new opportunities to find the accommodation you need.

Craigslist is often home to landlords looking to rent quickly. Some may not require background checks. If they do, ask to speak to them. You may be able to convince them to accept you if you have the cash to pay upfront.

The site also works well since it lets you search for alternative housing options besides standard apartments, such as rooms, sublets, temporary housing, and vacation rentals. Any of those options could help you find what you’re looking for, no matter what your record is.

You can find exactly what you’re looking for on Craigslist by searching for “no background check,” “felon-friendly,” or similar terms in the housing section. While you’re at it, give single rooms and even basements a look. Both could fix your housing problem in no time with no background check necessary.

5. Take over another person’s lease.

Subletting can make apartment hunting as a felon quite simple. Since you’ll be taking over someone’s lease, they may be willing to work with you without a background check.

As mentioned, Craigslist has a sublet section, or you can look on Sublet.com.

6. Use a re-entry program

The government may be able to help you find housing as a felon. Ask your parole officer for assistance.

You could also use a re-entry program that specializes in felons getting back into society. Lionheart is just one example.