# Opening a Bank Account / Renting a Place upon arrival



## aarontcp (Dec 21, 2007)

I have been planning my move to San Francisco for a while now, and there's something (actually, two things) I can't get my head around:

How do I go about opening a US bank account?
I've been told that I don't need an address, but I do need a Tax ID/SSN... which I won't be able to get until I actually land in the US and find a place to rent. I actually tried to do this in advance online but all the banks want me to appear in person at a branch before they'll even discuss it.

Any suggestions / experiences from people who have done this before? I figure that opening a bank account would probably be one of the frirst things I want to do (apart from looking for a place to stay)...

... which brings me to my second thing. Renting seems really complicated and convoluted in San Francisco. 

Most online listings and rental agencies I have looked at go something along the lines of "must have good credit and references". Well, I have diddly-squat in terms of credit history in the US, and definitely no family to provide references. I'm also self-employed so employer references are out of the question. I do have about 6 months worth of rent in funds however.

Does anyone know if this is going to be an issue in me finding somewhere to stay? Anyone have any idea as to how long I'll probably spend looking for a place to stay?

- Aaron


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

As far as getting that all-important SS number, you should have applied for a social security card when you applied for your visa. In that case, they are supposed to send you your card within a few days of your entry into the US. (OK, you're going to have to have them send it to wherever you plan on temporarily setting up to stay on arrival - probably a hotel of some sort.) The US Social Security website has more information on this process here: Social Security Online | Social Security Numbers and Immigrant Visas

Once you have the SSN, you can open a bank account. They have to establish your identity (i.e. to make sure you're not a terrorist), but you should walk out of the bank with some temporary checks you can use as soon as your initial deposit clears. 

As far as references go for renting an apartment, your best bet may be to go through a real estate agency. (Fortunately, there is no charge for this in the US. It took me the longest time to get used to rental agency fees here in Europe.) They can help you get around the lack of references issue, because there are plenty of foreigners in San Francisco, and obviously they manage somehow. 

You may need to post an extra deposit (which will be returned to you once you've paid a certain number of months' rent with no problems and "established your credit worthiness") or provide some form of proof of your income or the viability of your business.

Ahead of time, you can contact some of the big real estate chains online to ask about rentals, and ask them how they handle a newly arrived foreigner. (Century21, ReMax, Coldwell Banker - they all do rentals on the side.) The agencies take their money on rentals from the property owner, not from the renter, so you can contact as many agencies as you like to compare how they suggest you establish your credit. Larger property management companies may also be more willing than individual landlords to work with you in establishing credit. Just watch for the "Now Renting" banners displayed at big apartment complexes.

I've always managed to find a flat in a week dedicated to apartment hunting. Unless you're very picky or unrealistic about rents, you should be able to do the same.
Cheers,
Bev


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## aarontcp (Dec 21, 2007)

Thanks for the reply and link Bev.

Looks like I had applied for a SSN without even knowing about it 

I'll check out some of the larger real estate chains - I emailed a few smaller ones a couple of weeks ago and never received a reply.

Cheers,
- Aaron


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## synthia (Apr 18, 2007)

You'll also need an ID when you open the account, but your passport should take care of that. They need to know you are who you say you are and make sure that if you deposit a whole lot of money and earn lots of interest, Uncle Same will get his cut. It's all about the money.

Did the sites you looked at say they needed local references? Do you rent now? Have you been in your place longer than a year? Your credit history should count for something, even if it isn't in the US. Paying bills is paying bills, everywhere.

Contacting one of the big agencies is a good idea. A rental agent can probably verify your foreign (to us) credit history once, and then provide assurances to the renter. That is what they are for, part of what they are paid for. An awful lot of people come to the US every year, and they don't all live on the streets, so their must be ways.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Aaron,
I was checking around on the Century21 site the other day and there appeared to be nothing about rentals. But, if you go to the FAQ section, you'll find something that states that they don't put rentals on the website, however if you contact the office directly, they are supposed to get back to you with rental information.

A couple of weeks ago you may have run into the holiday rush. Try again now and see if you can get a response. But try to go directly to the local agencies (try "find an office") and then contact the individual offices from there. Not all offices handle rentals - but most do.
Cheers,
Bev


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

>>Your credit history should count for something, even if it isn't in the US. Paying bills is paying bills, everywhere.<<

Unfortunately, that isn't normally the case - at least not in the US. What most landlords are looking for is a nice, neat credit report from one of the big three credit agencies. If your bill payment doesn't show up there, it often won't be considered.

It doesn't hurt to have a letter of reference from your former landlord and/or bank. But again, what many landlords are looking for is someone they can call and ask "off the record" about your payment history. Making overseas calls is usually not something an individual landlord wants to bother with. A large agency will often work out something with an extra deposit (for the first three or four months) or some sort of pre-paid rent arrangement.
Cheers,
Bev


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## yankeeinasia (Dec 8, 2007)

Dear Aaron,

As far as a bank account goes, you may be able to open a global account with a bank such as HSBC and use the same account in both countries. This may also allow you to transfer funds back and forth between countries. I tried to do this when I moved from the US to Singapore with Citibank but then found that Citibank in Singapore is not connected directly to the US banks so I had to open a new account. From my reserch, HSBC would have been easier.

Good luck,
Kevin


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## aarontcp (Dec 21, 2007)

An update:
I emailed some of the larger real estate agencies, no reply. I'm moving on to contacting individual offices and agents next.

RE banking I've been in touch with HSBC before, and from what I can tell their US banks have very little to do with their overseas branches. Probably the only 'global' account I found was between Bank of America and Bangkok bank here in Thailand.

I've heard from a friend that you can open a bank account without an SSN and then supply it later, provided you can reasonably prove who you are and that you have money to deposit. Looks like I'll go down this route until the SSA bureaucracy catches up

-Aaron


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

It's a pity the real estate agents didn't reply - but I've always been able to simply walk into a real estate office on arrival to set up a series of visits to properties available for rent.

The bank thing doesn't surprise me. The banking laws are so different between countries, I've never found any bank that can help you open an account in another country. But again, just go see the bank and ask about opening an account when you get there. They'll need documentation, but they're generally more than happy to open the account on the spot and let you bring in the paperwork later.
Cheers,
Bev


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## synthia (Apr 18, 2007)

I read a book by an Italian journalist who was assigned to Washington DC. He reported that he went into the social security office with his passport containing his visa, and walked out a few minutes later with his SSN. Of course, he was also stunned to be able to get phone service after just a few minutes on the phone, set up biling for his electricity, and actually do much of anything without multiple trips to a government office.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Synthia,
How long ago was that book written, I wonder? Nowadays they include the application for a social security number in the visa application and supposedly they send it to you automatically once your visa is "validated" on entry to the country.

Sometimes I think the US is trying to assure that everyone in the world has a US SS number!
Cheers,
Bev


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## Jackiefatenbread (Jan 24, 2008)

You can get a SSN in a day at the social security office.

You can get a bank account without an SSN, though it's probably worth setting one up before you get there. You can either get an offshore dollar bank account with a British bank (though they probably charge fees, so I didn;t go down this route). 

My wife had an HSBC account in the UK, and of all the banks, HSBC is the most internationally integrated - She got a US account without any issues through her UK banking relationship (Citibank were useless for me when I tried the same trick). 

I had no problem getting a bank account without an SSN.

Getting a house is harder. We got UK credit reports and took them with us, but nobody wanted to know. When we were going through brokers in NYC (who charge 15% of annual rent as a fee!) they wanted fat deposits up front, which is your best bet if you take this route. 

We ended up renting an apartment directly from our buildings landlord, who liked our faces. You have a better chance of negotiating a fair and reasonable deal directly with landlords, so check property websites etc for owner-listings, rather than using a parasite, sorry, agent.


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## synthia (Apr 18, 2007)

I read it a couple of years ago, and so I think it was from 2002 or 2003 or so. Apparently everything in Italy is a beaurocratic hassle. He wrote that he was impressed with how quickly he got a phone line, but missed the sense of triumph one gets when achieving the same thing in Italy.


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Hi Jackie,
Welcome to the forums. Haven't seen you around here before, so I'm assuming you're new.

One word about the rental agents - NYC has two kinds of rental agents - fee paid and no fee agencies. Obviously, it makes sense to stick to the no fee agents if at all possible when looking to rent an apartment in NYC! 

But outside NYC, most real estate offices do rentals, too, and they don't collect any fee from the renter. The landlords pay the rental agent when the lease is signed with a satisfactory renter. (NYC is always a little different from the rest of the country... Some say it IS a different country. <g>) In some rentals, the rental agency actually acts as intermediary between the renter and the landlord, collecting the rents and handling any maintenance issues. But again, their fee comes from the landlord, not the tenant.

I'll admit to being surprised to find out how rental agencies work over here in Europe. Seems bass-end ackwards to me, but then again, I'm getting used to it.
Cheers,
Bev


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## aarontcp (Dec 21, 2007)

Another update:
Emailed a couple of smaller offices, no reply. I'm going to keep trying though... here's to hoping the persistence pays off. Worse comes to worse it's gonna be an interesting couple of weeks running around finding somewhere to stay...

RE the SSN, I ticked the 'give me a SSN' box when I applied for my immigrant visa, so I'm guessing I already have one in the system somewhere. It says my SS card will take 3 weeks to get to me... anyone know if I can just drop by a Social Security office and ask them what it is when I get there?

- Aaron


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## Jackiefatenbread (Jan 24, 2008)

Bevdeforges said:


> Hi Jackie,
> Welcome to the forums. Haven't seen you around here before, so I'm assuming you're new.
> 
> One word about the rental agents - NYC has two kinds of rental agents - fee paid and no fee agencies. Obviously, it makes sense to stick to the no fee agents if at all possible when looking to rent an apartment in NYC!
> ...


I didn't realize the monstrous broker fee was a New York thing, and not an American thing. I was horrified when I moved to NYC from England, but fortunately managed to avoid it anyway.

I've never had any experience of agencies in Europe, but I do recall a friend who went to Kiel in Germany on secondment to find that rental flats don't even come with light fittings - the previous occupants in several apartments she rented just left nothing but a bare wire hanging out of a hole in the ceiling...


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

In Germany, the real shocker is that you have to provide your own kitchen (right down to the kitchen sink and all the cupboards!). 

No, NYC is a bit special. It's the only place I know of in the US where rental agents charge for finding you a flat - though there may be some other cities with fee based agents. 

Aaron, you might do better to call one or two of the real estate offices to ask how best to arrange for viewing apartments on your arrival. At least you can get the name of their rental agent or info on which office handles rentals. And they may be able to give you some information on how they handle references for newly arrived foreigners.
Cheers,
Bev


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## tilly (Jan 31, 2008)

It is actually very easy, but allow for a few days to do it. You have already received some good advice. But it is always best to bring enough money, checks, and credit cards to survive a few months (just like you were a tourist) while you get settled.


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## aarontcp (Dec 21, 2007)

Just an update:

So I finally arrived here after all!
* Setting up a bank account was a cinch. They would preferred to have a SSN, but were happy to open an account for me without one - and without a residential address.
* Social Security is incredibly frustrating. I actually went down to the SSA office in downtown, queued up and talked to one of the people there. Apparently my SSN is 'on it's way', but they can't tell me what it is until I get the card. Talk about bloody annoying.
* Renting seems to be pretty straightforward, as most agencies in this city (San Francisco) were responsive to phone calls or me dropping by their offices in person. Forget about using email with any of them though. Hopefully the details of the lease will continue to go smoothly. Note that they asked for a few months' rent as a deposit given that I have no credit history here.

Ray1: I am on a diversity immigrant visa...

- Aaron


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