So how do foreigners get places to stay at?
What sort of references did they ask for, and did they verify income in any way?
Are you sure they didn't run a credit report anyway (even if there was no history of borrowing on it)?
In SF, they tend to ask for a copy of your credit report or enough info (social security number) to run one themselves.
And they ask more aggressively when the market is tight -- for example, in 2000, it was wise to bring a printed credit report to the first showing of a vacancy, so your application could be considered in the batch of 10+ people that were applying on the spot. It's not nearly so tight right now.
Sacramento and the East Bay. No rent control. I was only an overseas immigrant without a rental history the first time.
What sort of references did they ask for, and did they verify income in any way?
I think the most recent one did call my boss to verify my income.
Are you sure they didn't run a credit report anyway (even if there was no history of borrowing on it)?
They always run credit reports, even though I tell them "It'll come back blank". The last one did express some surprise that I still had a blank credit report after three years in the US, but nobody ever thought I was a bad risk.
That was in the East Bay, not in the city itself. Still, I have plenty of friends who have got straight off flights from overseas and rented apartments in San Francisco proper with no dramas. As long as you have a steady job and an adequate income I don't think they care about a blank credit report, just as long as you don't have a bad credit report.