# What Is a Third-Party Apartment Guarantor? Terms to Review > What is a third party apartment guarantor? How guarantor companies work, what they cost and cover, and what you still owe if one pays a claim. URL: https://nocreditcheckapartment.com/guide/what-is-a-third-party-guarantor/ A third party guarantor is a company you pay to back your apartment lease. We check that the property takes that company. Before you pay one, get a copy of its agreement. Ask what it covers, what it costs, and what you’d still owe if it pays a claim. Then compare it with a personal cosigner. ## The short answer A third party guarantor is a company that cosigns your lease and guarantees the rent to the community in exchange for a fee. It checks your income and credit against its own bar before it signs on. It can help with a credit or income problem. But it only covers money, so it usually won’t help with an eviction or a criminal record. We’re the No Credit Check Apartment Team, a licensed real estate team brokered by Spirit Real Estate Group, LLC (TREC #562021). Between us we have more than 20 years in real estate, working with property managers across Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio. We point renters with credit, eviction and record problems to communities whose criteria may fit them, and each property makes its own rental decision. ## What that means for you The guarantor runs its own approval check, called underwriting, on your income and credit. Each provider sets its own income bar. A guarantor can help with a credit or income problem. It usually won’t help with an eviction or a criminal record. It covers money the property could lose, not how a renter acts. ## How Texas communities handle it Texas property managers screen through a handful of companies, including TransUnion SmartMove, RealPage LeasingDesk, and AppFolio. Some check rent payment data from Experian RentBureau, and old apartment balances often show up through collection agencies like NCAC. Each one pulls up different information, and each management company reads it differently. A denied application usually costs $50 to $75, and those fees stack up fast when you apply without knowing how a property screens. For more on renting with backup on the lease, see our page on [guarantor and cosigner help](/guarantor-cosigner/) or the related guides below. ## What to do next Don't know where to apply, or tired of paying fees just to get turned down? Don’t guess. Send us your situation and we’ll point you to Texas communities worth a look. It’s free to you; communities pay our referral fee out of their advertising budgets. Related reading: [guarantor and cosigner help](/guarantor-cosigner/) · [what a lease guarantor costs in Texas](/guide/how-much-does-lease-guarantor-cost-texas/) ## FAQ What does a third party guarantor do? + It cosigns your lease and guarantees the rent to the community, in exchange for a fee. Which guarantor providers work in Texas? + We see TheGuarantors and OneApp often in Texas. We check which one your community accepts before you pay. Does a guarantor cover an eviction? + Not always. A guarantor only covers money, so some communities won't take one when there's an eviction on your record. ## Related guides [### How Much Does a Lease Guarantor Cost in Texas? A lease guarantor usually costs 70% to 110% of one month's rent, on top of your deposit and first month. We run the full move-in math and compare it to a deposit or a cosigner.](/guide/how-much-does-lease-guarantor-cost-texas/) ## Want us to look at your situation? Send us your screening issue and target city. We typically get back to you the same day to go over your form, and your community list usually takes 24 to 48 weekday hours. Weekend requests most likely hear from us Monday. Free. [Start Your Free Search](/find-apartments/) ## Put this advice into practice - [Plan your move-in budget](/calculators/move-in-budget-planner/) - [Prepare your application checklist](/calculators/application-readiness-checklist/) - [See renter resources](/renter-resources/)