I am desperately seeking advice...
I just settled with the attorney for my landlord - I owed several months rent totaling thousands of dollars. As part of the settlement, I am expected to pay at least half in a month. I am not sure I can pay back this amount so I wasn't sure what the next step should be.
Here are my plans/questions as of now:
1) I will try and find a new apartment with the hopes of being out of my current apartment by December 1. However, I don't even know if I will have enough $$ to pay for security/first months and most definitely won't have money for a broker fee. How likely will a landlord even rent to someone with a pending case?
I also have been unemployed for many months now (collecting unemployment that will soon run out, but starting a short-term freelance assignment), which is what got us in this mess to begin with. My credit is bad as a result and I can't seem to locate a cosigner. The number of apartments under $1100 is also very limited in NYC so I don't even have much confidence in finding a cheaper apartment than I am renting now.
2) If I move before eviction, what happens to my case?
3) Yes I have been to NYC Human Resources for a one-shot deal, but it's a loan, and without a cosigner, they probably won't grant me the loan anyway since I need more proof I can pay. They also offer assistance with a broker fee, security, first month rent, but I believe that is also a loan that requires a cosigner.
So, considering what my situation is, what would you do?
It seems like my options are limited - I don't want to have to leave NYC, but it sure seems like that may be my only choice, considering my poor credit, lack of a cosigner, lack of a regular full-time job. Aside from all of this, I believe my renting troubles would probably carry over to other states (as would my poor credit obviously), so even within the country as a whole, my options for finding a suitable apartment are probably limited.
Input would be great.