Moving somewhere new? AI does the legwork. A person has your back.

Renting in a city you can't easily visit, for a new job, a degree, a transfer or a family move, is when rental scams find people. Snesty searches live listings and the Hunting Agent watches for new ones, skipping listings with scam signs. Scam Check looks at a listing and the messages you've been sent before you pay. The Lease Checker explains a lease before you sign, and the Deposit Protection Kit records the home when you move in.

Before you pay anything, a real person on the Snestico team will look at a listing with you: message us through the contact page or email support@snestico.ai. No SSN or US credit history? The page also ranks the ways to get approved for you and makes a cover letter for landlords.

Whether it's a new job, a degree, a transfer or the whole family, Snestico searches, screens and checks for you, and a real person on our team will take a second look before you pay anything.

Renting somewhere you've never been is hard

Picture this: the offer letter arrives, or the admission email, or the transfer. You have six weeks to find a home in a city you've visited once, or never. You can't drop by for a viewing. Every listing looks lovely in photos, and you can't tell which ones are real. The landlord who replies fastest wants a deposit "to hold it" by Zelle. Another asks for a credit score you don't have yet, or a guarantor you don't know. The lease is twelve pages of small print. And the clock keeps running.

That's the moment most rental scams are waiting for. The FTC says renters reported nearly 65,000 rental scams and about $65 million in losses from January 2020 to June 2025. Moving from far away makes you an easier target, because you can't just go and look.

Snestico is built for that moment.

AI does the legwork. A person has your back.

Five steps, from the first search to the day you get your keys. The first four are Snestico's AI tools; the fifth is a real person.

1. Step 1

   Snesty searches, and the Hunting Agent watches for you

   Describe the home you need in plain English: the city, your budget, your commute, a pet, a roommate. Snesty searches live listings and answers questions about each home, from the fair price to the travel time to your office or campus.

   Then switch on the Hunting Agent: it re-runs your search, skips listings with scam signs, marks overpriced ones, and sends you a shortlist with a message to each landlord already drafted. You decide what to send.

   Turn on the Hunting Agent

2. Step 2

   Scam Check on every listing and message

   Before you pay a deposit, an application fee or a "hold" fee, paste the listing and what they sent you into Scam Check. It looks for the real listing and whether it's still for rent, checks that the contact and price match it, checks whether other members have reported it, and flags requests to pay by wire, gift card, crypto or Zelle before a viewing, landlords who can't show the home, and pressure to decide fast. You get a verdict and what to do next.

   Linked your WhatsApp? Forward the listing or a screenshot to Snesty there and get the same check.

   Run a free Scam Check

3. Step 3

   Lease Checker, before you sign

   Upload the lease and the Lease Checker explains it in plain English: the key terms, red-flag clauses quoted from your lease, checks against your state's deposit and late-fee rules, the real move-in cost including fees, and questions to ask. It can set reminders for your notice deadline and rent due date, and draft a polite message to the landlord about anything you want changed.

   Check my lease

4. Step 4

   Deposit Protection when you move in

   On move-in day, the Deposit Protection Kit walks you room by room through an inspection with photos, each stamped with the time Snestico received it. Share the report with your landlord to acknowledge. When you move out, it works out your state's return deadline, reminds you to send your forwarding address and reminds you again before the deadline, and drafts a demand letter if the deposit doesn't come back.

   Start my move-in record

5. Step 5: then a real person

   Before you pay anything, ask us for a second look

   AI catches patterns. Sometimes you just want someone to look at it with you. Before you send money, message us through the contact page (choose "A listing or landlord") or email support@snestico.ai, with the listing and what you've been sent. A real person on the Snestico team will look at it with you.

   And ask the landlord for a live video walkthrough: they walk from the street to the door, show the number, and open up while you watch. A real landlord can do that. A scammer usually can't.

   Ask the Snestico team support@snestico.ai

No SSN or US credit history? You can still get approved

An SSN isn't required by law to rent. Landlords use it to check US credit. Without one, many will look at other proof. Common options:

• Proof you can pay: an offer letter with salary and start date, a scholarship or I-20/DS-2019 funding letter, or recent bank statements showing several months of rent.
• A guarantor service: a company acts as your guarantor for a fee, so you don't need a US co-signer. Check the landlord accepts it first. The fee usually isn't refundable.
• A co-signer: a relative or friend in the US with good credit who agrees to owe the rent if you don't.
• A larger deposit or rent paid upfront: only where your state allows it, written into the lease, and only after you've seen the home and signed.
• Your credit history from home: some services turn foreign credit history into a report US landlords can read, where the landlord accepts it.
• A sublet first: a few months in a furnished room lets you see neighborhoods in person and start a US rental history.

Answer a few questions and get a plan ranked for you, then make a proof packet: a cover letter for landlords and a checklist of documents to attach. Print it, or save it to your account.

A few questions

Your status

When do you arrive?

Do you have a US Social Security number or ITIN?

Any US credit history?

Could someone in the US co-sign?

Could you pay some rent up front?

Your proof packet

A cover letter that explains your situation, and a checklist of what to attach. Print it or save it as a PDF; only you can see it.

Preview

Dear landlord or property manager,

My name is [your name]. I'm applying for your home.

I'm new to the United States, so I don't have a US credit history or a Social Security number yet. I have put together documents that show who I am and how I will pay the rent.

I'd be glad to answer any questions or send anything else you need. Thank you for considering my application.

Sincerely, [your name]

Share your passport and visa only with the landlord or manager you're applying to, after you've checked they're real. Never pay an application fee to someone you haven't verified.

Share your passport and visa only with the landlord or manager you're applying to, after you've checked they're real. Never pay an application fee to someone you haven't verified.

Find someone to share it with

Roommate matching compares everyday habits like sleep, cleanliness, guests, pets and budget, and shows why you match. Chat in the app before you share a lease, with no need to give out your number.

Questions people ask

• How do I rent an apartment in another city without seeing it?

  Ask for a live video walkthrough where the landlord shows the front door and street number, verify the owner or manager independently, read the full lease, and pay only by a traceable method. Run the listing and messages through Scam Check, and message the Snestico team for a second look before you pay.

• Can I rent in the US without an SSN or credit history?

  Often, yes. Many landlords accept other proof: an offer letter, scholarship or I-20 funding, bank statements, a guarantor service, a co-signer, or a larger deposit where your state allows it. Answer a few questions on this page for a plan ranked for you.

• Is a real person available, or is it all AI?

  Snesty and the Hunting Agent do the searching and screening. If you want a person to look at a listing or a message before you pay, message us through the contact page or email support@snestico.ai, and someone on the Snestico team will look at it with you.

• Does Snestico tour homes for me?

  No. We don't visit homes on your behalf. Ask the landlord for a live video walkthrough, or ask a friend or colleague in the city to visit, before you pay anything.

• Is a guarantor service worth the fee?

  It depends on the home. The fee is usually not refundable, so compare it with a larger deposit (which you get back) and with university housing. Check the landlord accepts the service before you pay.

• Does Snestico get paid for the services listed?

  Not unless a service is marked "Referral link": then Snestico may be paid if you sign up through it. The list is here because renters ask about these services, not because Snestico vouches for them.

You don't have to do this alone

Tell Snesty where you're going and when. It'll do the legwork, and we're here when you want a second pair of eyes.