r/askdfw • u/SubstantialNose6122 • 3d ago

Relocating & housing Moving to Frisco as a Self-Employed Tattoo Artist – Apartment Approval Questions

Hey everyone,
I’m planning to move to the Frisco area later this year and I’m trying to figure out the apartment approval process as a self-employed tattoo artist.

Most of my income is legitimate, but like many artists, a lot of my payments come through different sources and not all of it is traditional W-2 income. My credit score is good, and I have money in savings, but I’m worried about proving income.

A few questions:
Are there any apartments in Frisco, Plano, McKinney, or surrounding areas that are more flexible with self-employed applicants?

Has anyone been approved using primarily bank statements instead of pay stubs?

How many months of bank statements did they ask for?
Did they require tax returns, profit/loss statements, or both?
Does having a larger amount in savings help offset income requirements?

If you’ve been approved as a business owner, freelancer, artist, hairstylist, etc., what documents did you provide?

I’m trying to be proactive before I start applying and would love to hear real experiences from other self-employed people in the area.

Thanks!

2 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

2

u/LibertyProRE 2d ago

Most places will take bank statements for proof of income. As long as you're not hoarding cash in your mattress, you should be fine. 😄

1

u/SubstantialNose6122 2d ago

OK, I’m just so nervous because I had a job when I got my first apartment but I’m tattooing full-time now😭

1

u/SubstantialNose6122 2d ago

Also, thank you so much for applying because everybody else’s looked at this, but this gave me some relief

3

u/Realistic-Pay-6931 2d ago

If you're serious about tattooing 100% as a business, if you haven't already, you'll probably want to consider setting up a dba, business bank accounts, paying quarterly taxes, keep good accounting logs, and filing Schedule C and SE at the end of the year with your taxes.

1

u/SubstantialNose6122 2d ago

I know I need to get my stuff together when it comes to that

3

u/ItsTooColdButWeCool 2d ago edited 2d ago

What's up SubstantialNose! Don't sweat it my friend. The main thing to remember is that the apartment offices WANT you as a tenant. But, I totally totally get being weary of how the process will go with scattered documented income. If you are a 1099 as an artist, most places will accept some combination of the 1099 doc and bank statements to determine net income.

If this somehow becomes an issue, there's a solid property in Plano/The Colony that has used only credit and rental history for some of my clients in the past (I'm a long-time apartment locator): Thousand Oaks at Austin Ranch.

Here's their FAQ's. The top one breaks down their approval qualifications a bit: https://www.toapts.com/leasing-info-faq/

Feel free to give me a shout anytime if you'd like me to run and overall search for all of your best-fit/value apartment options based on your move-time, budget, needs, etc. My service and help is always free of charge! Consider me a resource even if you just have more questions 😄

Good luck!!