I am relocating from the UK to the US on an E2 employee visa and want to secure a lease before arriving. I won't have a US Social Security Number, bank account, or credit history initially, but my employer can provide proof of salary, an employment contract, and references. How can I rent a property before arriving, and what documents or alternatives (like a larger deposit or guarantor) do landlords accept?

You do not need a US Social Security Number or US credit history to legally rent a property. Landlords can legally accept your employment contract, pay stubs, and foreign bank statements to screen you.

Because you have an E-2 visa and a US job offer, you already have the exact documents the government recommends using in place of an SSN.

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Moving to the US?

Your friends say one thing, Reddit says another, and ChatGPT wrote you ten paragraphs. You're still not sure. So we built SettleKit from the one question that matters: what do people wish they'd known before they moved?

Everything's free to try, no account needed

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How to build your own SettleKit

Answer a few questions

Tell us your visa, your state, and what you've already done yourself. About two minutes, no account needed.

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Get a roadmap built for you

Every task you actually need, in the right order: driver's license, credit score, health insurance, bank account. Built exactly for you.

A personalized SettleKit roadmap

Do each step with guidance

Open a step and we compare your options, explain the fine print, and walk you through it at your pace.

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Your first step is two minutes away

How people have used SettleKit

So much of moving here is rules and conventions nobody mentions unless you get them wrong. SettleKit tells you about them up front.

RemiFrance → New York

“My SSN appointment was in another city, and when I got there my printed employment letter wasn't acceptable. SettleKit tells you exactly which documents to bring so one trip is enough.”

LizGermany → Virginia

“We managed two months without a car…in a Kansas City winter, with a kid to get to school. No credit history, no car loan. SettleKit helped us understand how we could finally lease a car.”

NileenaIndia → Missouri

“In France there's one health plan. Here your employer hands you pages of them and wishes you luck. SettleKit compared them in words I could actually use.”

ValentinFrance → New York

“I got rejected for internet as a 'high-risk consumer' a week after landing. SettleKit explained why, and what to do about it.”

NadineSouth Africa → New York

“After getting rejected by banks and blocked by phone carriers, SettleKit was the first thing that treated me like a human.”

TahaPakistan → Illinois

“My first ten days here I had nothing on me but a passport. I barely left the house. I wish I'd had SettleKit's checklist on day one.”

OmarKazakhstan → New York

Ready to get started?

Answer a few questions and get a roadmap built for your visa, your state, and what you've already sorted.