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I am in the process of moving to California from out of state, looking for an apartment to rent.

I am currently unemployed and have no monthly income, but I have a decent amount of money in the bank and a substantial amount of money in mature EE savings bonds.

There's an apartment I have my eye on and these savings are much more than enough to pay 6 months rent in advance, something that I have offered to do. (I could pay a year in advance and still be just fine.)

However, the rental company requires proof of current income, regardless of any advance rent payments. I don't really get this since I'm happy to pay far in advance, but the property manager explained that it's company policy, and the best thing for me to do is legally document my ownership of the bonds so they can be considered "income".

Is there a way I can legally, officially prove that I own my savings bonds?

(I have good credit and rental history, and no criminal background. So this income issue is my only stumbling block.)

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  • Don't EE Savings Bonds have your name printed on them? That should do it if anything will. – user32479 Jan 16 '16 at 13:56
  • But the picture doesn't prove you didn't already cash then in. They also could have been promised to the moving company, the airline, and the current landlord. – mhoran_psprep Jan 16 '16 at 15:54
  • By "mature" do you mean more than 30 yrs old? In that case they are not accruing interest and the right answer is probably to cash them in anyway. – user32479 Jan 17 '16 at 3:28
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This is something you are going to have to work out with the leasing company because your goal is to get them to make an exception to their normal rules.

I'm a little surprised they wouldn't take 6 months pre-payment, plus documentation of your savings.

One option might be to cash in the bonds (since you said they are mature), deposit them in a savings account, and show them your account balance. That documentation of enough to pay for the year, plus an offer to pay 6 months in advance would be pretty compelling. Ask the property manage if that's sufficient.

And if the lease is for one year and you're willing to pay the entire year in advance, I can't see how they would possibly object. If your employment prospects are good (show them your resume and explain why you are moving and what jobs you are seeking) a smart property manager would realize you'll be an excellent, low-risk tenant and will make an effort to convince the parent company that you should live there.

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    I had the same issue some years ago, and they were not willing to take even a full-year-in-advance payment. They don't even consider such an offer, they stick to their rules, and that's it. Many work like a badly written computer program, you can't argue with it. – Aganju Jan 17 '16 at 4:43

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