Don't be misled, many landlords won't bother with credit checks. You're looking for a small cheap place just for yourself, right? Plenty of landlords are too cheap to pay for a credit check, especially small-time landlords who own two-family homes or who converted their basement into an apartment for a few extra bucks. Ask them over the phone if they own any other rental property. If the answer is no, they probably won't do a credit check.