Apartment Applications and Freelancers

[David Roth weiss]

[Kim Huston] “I work as a freelance Assistant Editor around town and so I’m stumped as to what to fill in for the Proof of Employment section.”

You’re a freelance editor Kim, so that makes it very simple. As the employer you write “self.” Being self-employed is not a detriment in most cases, so don’t feel bad about it.

You’ll need to show prospective landlords that you have some money in a bank account, clean credit, no criminal record, and you need to be able to pay 1st and last month’s rent.

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™

A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.

[Kim Huston]

Thanks for the info.

Will saying I’m self employed result in extra paperwork where they need to see old tax returns though? Since I just moved here, I have a new job and my old tax returns are basically irrelevant as far as salary is concerned. I make much more money here than I did where I used to live. I moved because of the lack of jobs there.

[Todd Terry]

[Kim Huston] “extra paperwork where they need to see old tax returns though?”

Maybe, it just depends on the landlord. But it is what it is, you know.

There is not much getting around it… you are not an employee, you are self employed. In the present setup, the producers or production companies that you work for are not your employers… as a freelancer, they are your clients.

Unless you can get one of these companies to actually legally “put you on the payroll,” listing yourself as “self employed” is really the only option.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[David Roth weiss]

[Kim Huston] “Will saying I’m self employed result in extra paperwork where they need to see old tax returns though? …my old tax returns are basically irrelevant…”

Kim,

You’re right, your tax returns are irrelevant. So, if they ask for those, you just explain that they are irrelavant and instead simply supply your current bank account and credit info. Your job is to impress upon the landlord that you can pay now and that you’re a good person.

If you were in jail previously, or skipped out on your debts and credit cards, that would be a whole different matter. That’s what landlords are really looking for, and typically a simple credit and background check will tell them all they need to know. So don’t sweat the details if you have no reason to sweat. Trust me, I assure you, you’re not the first new person to move to New York.

Good luck… Let us know how it goes.

David

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™

A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.

[Steve Wargo]

Seems like you need to try to tell one of them exactly what you’re telling us.

Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!

Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1 HD .

[Steve Wargo]

You could just ask any landlord what they would do if faced with you as an applicant.

Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!

Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1 HD .

[Wolfgang Niederhoffer]

Hey Kim,
I am running into the same problem here in Portland, OR. All the landlords want lots of work history and proof that you’ve been fully employed for 1 year at least. There is something about previous year tax returns if you’re self employed, but since this is my first full year of freelance editing, I don’t have any of that yet. I’ll follow the advice posted earlier of just bringing a print out my bank account info and maybe copies of my last few invoices to show the regularity of my income. Good luck!

-Wolf
AVID/Final Cut Freelance Editor
Portland, OR

[Kim Huston]

So far things went smoothly. I put self-employed and they didn’t even ask for any check stubs. I did give them a bank statement showing that I had cash in the bank, however.

Thanks for all the advice everyone!