Enter your household income and debts. See a safe rent, what landlords approve, and the cash to move in.
$/mo
$/mo
people
County
Comfortable rent
$0 /mo
30% of income(HUD affordability line)$0
Stretch(35%, tight budget)$0
Landlord approves up to(income ≥ 3× rent)$0
Looser landlords(income ≥ 2.5× rent)$0
Left after rent + debts(before tax)$0
Your debt payments are high, so the comfortable rent is lowered below 30%. We keep rent + debts under about 40% of income.
What that buys in Santa Clara
Size
HUD rent
Income needed
Fits?
HUD Fair Market Rent FY2026 includes utilities. It is a mid-low market rent (40th percentile), so many homes list higher. Income needed = 3× rent. ✓ comfortable · ~ stretch · ✗ over budget. Highlighted row: about 2 people per bedroom.
Ken will reply with rentals in your range, or what it takes to buy instead. No spam.
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Or text:408-666-2825
Your rights when you apply
Application fee: max $68.96 per adult in 2026. The cap goes up with inflation each year.
You get a receipt that lists what the fee paid for. Ask, and you get a copy of your credit report.
No unit available? They can't charge the fee. Unused part of the fee comes back to you.
Deposit: since 7/1/2024, most landlords can take only 1 month. Up to 2 months only for a small landlord (a person, 2 properties or less, 4 units or less), and never from active-duty service members.
Next steps
Pull your free credit report at annualcreditreport.com before you apply. Fix errors first.
Have it ready: 2 recent pay stubs, last year's W-2 or tax return, ID, 2 months of bank statements. Good applicants move fast.
Paying this much rent anyway? Compare with buying in T04 — rent vs buy.
Many people get this wrong: “The landlord can ask for 2–3 months deposit.” Not anymore. Since July 1, 2024 (AB 12), most landlords can take only 1 month plus first month's rent. Small landlords can take up to 2. Nobody can take 3.