When applying for an apartment, can I lie and say I am first time renter when I'm not?

I know that when they do a credit check they will see previous addresses. But do I have to tell them that I rented before. Its not that I owe the landlord or anything, but there was an confrontion with me and my boyfriend there and its in our record and the last apartment community turned us down because of that. I just wondered could I just make it seem like I am a first time renter or could they investigate those previous addressess.

Claim the first time renter status. If asked, say you were living with some other person who actually rented the addresses you have in your prior history. They probably won't ask.

I hope you have decent credit. That's critical to all this.

Are you going to continue living with this boyfriend with whom you had the "confrontation"? This is the sticking point.

If you're applying to live alone, they're much more likely to approve you. If you tell them the BF with the bad history will be there, well.... good luck.

They can always investigate if they want, but it's usually not cost effective to dig that deeply into a prospective renter's history.

Best of luck to you,

Adam S

What's the worst that could happen if you do?
I would say do it and run the risk of getting rejected...at least you have a chance of getting in that way.

The confrontation must have been pretty serious for prospective landlords to reject your for it. The only problem with saying you're a first time renter is they'll probably ask you for a larger deposit up front because you're a first time renter.

If there was law enforcement involved in that confrontation, and they run a background check, they'll find out anyway.

You think lying is the best way to handle things? Sounds like the police may have been involved in your little "confrontation" with your boyfriend.

Go for it.....the worse that can happen is they catch you and refuse you. Some communities have computer information of renters, you might be on the list already, or you might not be.
NOTE: to take this out a little farther. If the last time you rented it was with your boyfriend, then you would be telling the truth that this is your first time. WHY? because this is the first time " you " have rented by yourself.

It is never good to lie about anything! But a good way to work around it is ....on the application they will ask you for previous address, correct, write them all down except the problem one. That blank space of time you can say you moved back home with your parents. If, they other address comes up, say it was your boyfriends apartment and you co-signed and then tell them what happened. Sound good?

That would not be a very good way to start your occupancy. Somewhere or another you would slip up and then have to tell another lie to cover that one and sooner or later you would get caught.
Try to patch up your problem and see if you can get them to forgive you. Perhaps if you went back and reasoned with them in a cooler atmosphere you could clear it up.
Write up a full explanation of what happened and ask your prospective landlord to read it before they make a decision.
By telling the truth you don't have to remember who you told what to.
Good luck.
Don

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Guess what sweety, you'll have to put down your drivers license number, your social security number, any number of other ways to check up on you, including another former address where you lived for references. You are not the first one that's tried this.