I didn't realize just how far the effects of bad credit reached until I got denied for an apartment. Yes, denied. For an apartment. I knew that I'd neglected to pay some credit card bills for a few months, but I didn't know that I might be forced to live on the streets because of it.

It didn't matter that my monthly take-home pay was 5x the rent or that I could give a good recommendation from my current landlord. The apartment's computer said my credit was too bad to rent to me, so I got turned down.

Luckily, every rental property doesn't have as strict approval requirements. There are ways to rent an apartment with bad credit.

1. Find an apartment that doesn't do credit checks
2. Provide recommendation letters that overshadow your credit report
3. Have someone co-sign for you
4. Put down a large deposit or pay several months of rent upfront

If you're already renting and just want to move to another location, you can do what I did - bite the bullet and stay where you are. Use the money you would have spent on your new apartment to pay off some of your debt.