Practical tips for your housing search

Shortcut to filling out housing application forms

Start by reading through the whole form and marking anything you don't know the answer to yet — you'll come back to those. Then work the form in three passes, easiest first. Most people finish about three-quarters of an application in under 15 minutes this way.

1. Level 1

   No-lookup

   · Do these first

   Everything you already carry in your head. Fast wins that build momentum.

   • •Your name
   • •Phone number
   • •Email address
   • •Apartment size you're looking for
   • •Car make and model
   • •All the yes/no questions
   • •“How did you hear about us?”
2. Level 2

   Simple-lookup

   · Do these next

   A quick check of your wallet, your phone, or a search engine gets you each of these.

   • •Driver's license number (from your card)
   • •How long you've lived at your current address
   • •Addresses from the past 5 years
   • •Your employer's address (a quick search usually finds it)
   • •Social Security numbers and birthdates for anyone else on the application — text them to ask
3. Level 3

   Hard-lookup

   · Save these for last

   The parts that take digging. By the time you reach them, most of the form is already done.

   • •Detailed income information (pay stubs, benefit letters, multiple income sources)

Both major voucher waiting lists are currently closed. Openings can be brief, so confirm current details on each program's official site.