With renting comes with so many questions. Where to look? How much can we pay? What’s the school like? Is the landlord good and will our application be accepted?  Renting in the US as a foreigner, where there are different rules, terminology and currency can seem totally overwhelming. 

When we arrived in the US from the UK with our two young children, we had a time limit of two weeks in a hotel to find a rental (which turned to five, of course.) In 100+ degree summer heat, we had the stress of our geriatric dog’s impending flight over the Atlantic (everyone hoping he would survive). Homeless, school-less and dog-less, booking a ticket on the next flight home seemed VERY tempting!

Months later, I am pleased to say we are still here in the US, the dog did survive, and we are really happy with where we ended up – winner! Now that I can look back at the move from the comfort of my US rental home, what advise can I offer other foreigners planning on renting in the US? Based on my experience, here’s my takeaways!

As obvious as it may seem, move first.  It is really easy (and exciting) to look at rental properties online before you move. Due to constraints out of our hands, we were not able to commit to a rental until we arrived in the US. If you’re in a similar situation, seeing the rental of your dreams online can really taint the reality of the rentals available when you move.  

If you can, speak to others who have made the move or live in the area. Ask them as many questions as you can. However, keep an open mind, do not let their opinion govern your views or completely limit where you look. You may not have the same needs, wants or likes and you may miss a rental that would be great for your family if you rule things out based on others.    

Drive around areas day and night and get a feel for them. Are they busy? What’s the traffic like? Are there families out playing and is that good or bad for you? I am sure we were one drive away from the neighbours calling law enforcement about the black Ford Explorer circling their street!

Know what your priorities are. Be honest and clear about what you want with your realtor.  Does space override the area? Does the area matter more than amenities or like us does a good school top everything? Once clear on this, be openminded on the rest, but do not be afraid to say no when you view rentals. We are really happy with where we found, we have a lovely community with a fab school. However, it’s in an area we had initially discounted and a rental we would have originally ruled out. Now we love it!

Use a realtor but keep doing your own research (and be mindful of rental scams.) I developed a slight obsession with Zillow. Our realtor was great and definitely managed to get us into our rental before others…yet we actually found the property before him on, yep, Zillow! 

Don’t hesitate to ask to visit again if you want to. Rental properties tend to blur together, especially when you’re jet-lagged and trying to provide constant entertainment to tired, hot, bored kids.

Allow time, so…much…time!  Expect to have to do EVERYTHING multiple times and if you don’t have to then it’s a bonus. Being foreign means you probably won’t have many of the regular documents and ID’s required. The simplest information can get lost in translation even when everyone is speaking the same language, US vs UK.  

Simple things like paying a deposit can be more complicated, as you may not have a bank account setup. Even if you do, having no credit history can bring many red flags with it. Don’t panic just be patient and bring all your documents to every meeting, no matter how over the top that seems.  

If you need schools, ring and speak with them. Information you find on the internet is not always right (not a total surprise, I know).  Initially we were told our house was not in the catchment for the school we wanted. However, after speaking with them it turned out it was, yay!

If you can, talk to people in the neighbourhoods you look in.  They may give you funny looks but, in our experience, they are really friendly and helpful. They can offer important, specific and relevant information that your realtor simply doesn’t know.  Also, it’s always good to recognise some friendly faces if you move there. Who knows you may even become friends, we did.

Expect bumps in the road, ok, maybe a few great big craters! But try not to be disheartened or book that plane ticket home. We lost three houses for three totally different reasons on our quest! There are a lot of rentals in the US, you’ll find the right one for you.

Lastly, take time out during your search for fun things, swim, eat out, play football (soccer), drink wine and remember you still want to like each other at the other end!  

Moving to a new country is a huge adventure. Renting in the US will be stressful and exhausting at times, but once you find your new rental, let the fun begin!