A 580 is a filter, not a verdict
Income is the first gate at nearly every Dallas property. Most ask for 3x the rent in gross monthly income, some 2.5x, and a few 2x. They check that before anyone looks hard at a score.
A renter at 580 who clears 3x comfortably is in a different position from one who clears it by $40. The score is the same. The file isn't. That's why our bad credit locating starts from the income rather than the number.
What a 580 usually leads to
At properties that work with that score, the answer is a condition, not a denial.
| Condition | What it means |
|---|---|
| Higher deposit | Often 1.5x or 2x the standard deposit |
| Deposit alternative | A fee paid upfront or monthly instead of a cash deposit |
| Guarantor | Someone who must earn more, often 4x or 5x the rent |
| Yes, with conditions | Approved, sometimes with a cap on the rent |
| More paperwork | More months of income proof, or bank statements |
Which of these you can get depends on the property, and we keep notes on it for the properties we work with. See deposit alternatives for how each path works.
Your score is not one number
Properties may see a FICO score, a VantageScore, or the screening company’s own score. Those don't move together, and the score on your free app often isn't the one the property sees.
So don't get hung up on the exact number. Tell us your rough range, such as “around 580”, “low 600s”, or “no score”. We work from the range, since the criteria are written in ranges too.
The six week problem
Raising a score takes months. If your move date is six weeks out, you can still change your income paperwork, how you handle the deposit, and which properties you apply to. You can work on all of those today.
What else is on the file
A 580 with a clean rental history is a different application from a 580 with two rental collections. Properties screen credit and rental history separately, and the rental side often counts for more.
If you have collections, charge-offs, or a bankruptcy on the file, say so in the first message. It isn't worse news. It's different news, and it changes the property list. Read thin file, collections, and charge-offs for how each is weighed.
We never see the number
We never pull, ask for, receive, or store your credit report or screening file. A locator doesn't make the leasing decision, so it has no reason to pull one.
We work from what you tell us. Then we line it up with the rules we keep notes on ourselves.
What to send
Gross monthly income, target rent, move date, rough credit range, and anything you know is on the file.
You get back a list of Dallas properties whose written rules fit your numbers. Every one comes with the income multiple and deposit terms, so the only math left is the total monthly cost of your pick. That's what our bad credit locating does, and it costs you nothing.