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My hubby's credit score & previous eviction...
In August, after dating for three years and engaged for nearly two, my hubby and I finally married. Unfortunately, my husband aquired poor credit years before we met. He has a few old credit cards that he is still making payments on that went to collections, and he is also making payments for an apartment he got and then was evicted a month later after he was laid off. These items took place in early 2010 before I met him. After we started seriously dating, we pulled together and I helped him get out of some of his debt, which has helped his credit score tremendously. He used to have a score in the low 500s and is now almost in the 600s. We are slowly paying on past debt, while maintaining our current bills, and also trying to save a little for our future. In addition, I have great credit, so I co-signed on some furniture we put on a payment plan so he could build some credit, which will be paid off in December.
I do not hold any of this against my wonderful husband. This debt was aquired prior to meeting me, and he has since proven himself to be a very responsible individual, and I really respect that he is getting his finances in order to benefit us in the long-run. However, my question is this... because of his prior eviction, how do we find a decent apartment/house to rent? Right now we are living in an apartment and I am the only individual on the lease. Technically he is supposed to be on the lease as well, but if I wanted to add him, it would be an extra $1,000 security deposit, which we cannot afford, and that is AFTER they decide whether or not to approve him. We can prove that he is making payments on his previous eviction, but it seems like whenever we mention the eviction to anyone, especially apartments/landlords that go through property management companies, it's an automatic disqualification. I know that this will fall off his credit report after 7 years, thankfully, but it will be another 3.5 years from now before it does. How are we supposed to find a nice place to rent with this on his credit?
Any help or ideas would be highly appreciated. 
Re: My hubby's credit score & previous eviction...
Is there anything wrong with your current apartment? I would stay there, with only your name on the lease, while paying off these past due debts and getting caught up. Then I would focus on doing what it takes to increase his credit score. It isn't necessarily by purchasing furniture on credit, and making the monthly payments. You need to focus on your debt to income ratio being as low as possible, along with paying debts on time.
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There are a couple things wrong with our apartment we are in now. Firstly, although the apartment itself is nice, we have obnoxious neighbors above us that stomp around at all hours of the night. I have reported them numerous times and the apartment manager has done nothing about it. This isn't necessarily our deal breaker, but it has been driving us nuts since we moved in, and don't know if we can handle it for another 3.5 years.
The main reason we are looking into a new apartment/house is simply that I feel awful "breaking the rules" by allowing him to live here without being on the lease. The apartment manager is always seeing him around and saying hello, so I can't help but think that they know and don't care as long as rent is paid, but the paranoid part of me is freaking out.
Additionally, we only purchased the furniture on a payment plan because we moved into our current apartment with no furniture whatsoever. We felt it was better to gain him at least some good credit by putting it under him with me as a co-signer, rather than just pay it off. Not sure if it has made much impact, but it was more cost-effective for us, as well as it helps show he is responsible with the new credit he's gained. Once it is paid off, would it be better to close the account, or keep it active without any credit used on it?
He was evicted after one month of moving into an apartment because he was laid off? What does he have to pay that he is STILL paying on that eviction?
IF you do not have $1000 to add him to your current lease, how can you afford to move - put down first month's rent, security deposit, last month's rent, utility changes, then the decorating that always goes with a new place?
You do not need a "nice" place to live. You need an adequate place to live, which you already have.
In the future save first for large expenditures and then pay cash rather than making payments.
I agree with you. I have only bought wooden stuff. No to fabric items for me too!
It seems like you are better off for the time being staying where you are. Moving is expensive and, unless you can move in one day or something, you will have an overlap in rent. But, if you really want to move and feel bad he is not on a lease, consider renting a house/apartment from a person...like someone who only owns a rental property or two...instead of an apartment complex/property investor. Although I can't speak to where you live, in my area the "smaller" landlords don't usually run credit checks or, if they do, will be more accommodating in looking at just your credit score and still putting you both on the lease.