What Cosigning an Apartment Lease Could Do to Your Credit Score
Let’s say a close friend comes to you and asks for help securing a two-bedroom apartment. She is able to pay all the deposits and has no problem adhering to the terms of the lease, but she has bad credit and so the landlord probably won’t accept her as a renter. So she’s asking you to cosign the lease with her. However, you’re worried about what cosigning could do to your credit. What would you do?
Whether you are considering cosigning a lease for a friend or a family member, here are some things you should know about how cosigning might affect your credit score.
What does cosigning mean?
“Cosigning” is exactly what it sounds like: you are signing a lease alongside another person. Because a lease is a contract guaranteeing that the signees will uphold the terms of the lease, both the renter and you will be responsible for adhering to those terms. More specifically, if you are cosigning, you are guaranteeing that the renter will pay all bills due to the apartment. If they can’t, it falls on you to meet the financial terms of the lease.