It’s
normal for our clients to worry about how they will rent an apartment or find a
job with a bankruptcy on their credit score. But at the Law Office of C.E. Taylor, we consider it our responsibility to
help our clients recover, and this means that we provide strategies for
handling all post-bankruptcy concerns.
The
truth is, just about everyone has experienced financial stress—and that
includes employers and landlords. So getting a job or renting an apartment
after a bankruptcy doesn’t have to be as hard as you think. The key is twofold:
1.
Be prepared
2.
Show progress
Rule
#1: Before you walk into a job interview or approach a landlord, think about
what you can do or say to prove that you are a responsible person. Are there
other areas of your life that demonstrate that you are a responsible person?
Have you been entrusted with the position of treasurer for a nonprofit
organization? Do you have a glowing letter of recommendation from a previous
employer who charged you with tasks that required a tremendous amount of trust,
loyalty, and responsibility? Did you previous landlords love you, and can you
get letters stating such? All this will help you earn the trust of an employer
or landlord.
If you
are able to show that you are trustworthy, your bankruptcy might be overlooked,
particularly if you explain the events that led up to your bankruptcy. Rest
assured, you aren’t the only person who has declared bankruptcy, and the events
of 2008 and 2009 caused a lot of problems for even the most financially
responsible people.
Your
best bet, then, is to be candid with a possible employer or landlord. Since the
recession has had unfortunate consequences for many people, the
employer/landlord might be sympathetic to your plight, especially if you follow
the second rule.
Rule
#2: Pitch your situation as a learning experience so that you can show the
employer/landlord that you are wiser as a result of your mistakes.
Because
we want our clients to truly recover from the financial meltdown, we enroll
them in something called the 720 Credit Score Challenge. This program allows people
who have been through a bankruptcy to transform their credit scores in as
little as 12 to 24 months. The beauty of this is that it allows you to show
landlords or employers that you have taken serious steps to change your life
around.
When
you approach a landlord or employer, tell them what happened, and then show
them that your credit report indicates a change for the better. If you tell
them what you have done to make sure that you will never have a financial
meltdown again, the landlord/employer might be sympathetic, especially if you
have extenuating circumstances brought on by the recession.
You
see, employers and landlords are likely to value an honest account of your
situation, so be sure you are ready to be forthright about your past mistakes
and able to offer evidence of your progress. In doing so, you allow employers
and landlords to look past that three-digit number and see the new you!
If you
are in the metro Atlanta area, and are interested in filing bankruptcy, feel
free to contact us for more information on the bankruptcy process or to
schedule a free consultation.
(404)
292-3123
