How do I find second chance rentals for sex offenders near me? Unfortunately, finding housing as a sex offender is incredibly challenging. Many landlords, property management companies, and housing programs refuse to rent to individuals with sex offenses on their records.
Proximity restrictions—such as living too close to schools, parks, or daycare centers—search even harder.
Also Read: Second Chance Apartments Indianapolis
Second Chance Rentals For Sex Offenders Near Me 2025 – Start Here
How do sex offenders find housing?
- Social workers & case managers
- Parole/community supervision officers
- Charities and reentry programs
- Sex offenders registry
- Craigslist & Facebook Marketplace
- Extended stay hotels
It’s tough to find housing with a criminal record and when that criminal record is for a sex offense, finding a place to live is even harder.
Most landlords and property management agencies draw the line at renting to sex offenders.
Proximity restrictions are another issue sex offenders in many states have to deal with. You could find a landlord willing to give you a chance only to discover that the rental is too close to a school or other restricted area.
How To Get Help Finding Sex Offender Housing
Secure Temporary Shelter
If you’re required to register, being homeless puts you at risk of being arrested for failure to register an address. If you’re unhoused, find a shelter that allows residents to use the shelter address for registration purposes.
Call 2-1-1 and ask about local shelters that accept sex offenders. A shelter isn’t ideal, but you’ll have a place to sleep and shower, and an address for the registry while you search for housing.
Shelters often provide additional services like case management, emergency housing referrals, or connections to landlords who rent to sex offenders.
Speak To Your Parole Officer
If you’re under community supervision, contact your parole officer and ask for a list of landlords, rooming houses, and extended-stay hotels that rent to sex offenders. The leads they give you might not have any vacancies immediately, but you can still ask to go on their waiting lists.
When a place has a waiting list, ask if they mind you calling once a week to check-in. Regular contact could mean you get the first chance when a vacancy opens up.
Contact Social Services
Social services help people in insecure housing situations. If you’re already connected with social services through parole or a mandated treatment program, ask your social worker for help with housing, and cooperate with their suggestions.
If you’re off supervision, staff at your local library can provide you with social services contact information, and many libraries even have a social worker on staff.
You can also call 2-1-1 to find out how to access social services.
Charities & Reentry Programs
Many sex offenders get housing help through charities and reentry programs. Charities like the local branches of the Salvation Army and Catholic Charities, work with hard-to-house groups and often maintain lists of sex offender-friendly housing in their area.
You can also take a look at Once Fallen, a website with a state-by-state list of sex offender housing resources: https://oncefallen.com/
Reentry programs are another valuable resource you can make use of. Some reentry programs only focus on job training and employment, while others offer full case management which includes second-chance housing referrals.
One thing to keep in mind if you’re reluctant to reach out to social services or join a reentry program is a lot of the second-chance housing that accepts sex offenders never comes on the open rental market. Access is solely via a referral.
How To Use The Sex Offender Registry To Find Apartments That Accept Sex Offenders Near Me
One of the best places to find leads on second-chance rentals for sex offenders is your local sex offender registry.
Because sex offender registries are public databases, you can search the registry and see where other sex offenders live.
Then with a little reverse engineering, you’ll be able to find apartment buildings, extended-stay hotels, and property management companies willing to rent to sex offenders.
Also Read: Felon Friendly Apartments Near Me – Housing for Felons
Even though this is an effective method, you’ll need to put in some work. Don’t expect to get a ready-made list of sex offender apartments for rent. Here’s what you need to do:
Access Your Registry
Search online to find your state sex offender registry or use the national sex offender lookup tools at: https://www.familywatchdog.us/SOStates.asp.
State Sex Offender Registries: Enter any local address or zip code into the search bar to see a list or map showing where registered sex offenders live. If the registry shows a map, clicking on a marker will give you more details about the offender and their address. Repeat the search, each time centering on a new address or zip code. Note down the addresses.
Family Watchdog: Select your state from the list, then choose a city. Click “show as list”, to see the list of sex offenders and their addresses.
Search The Listings On Google Maps
Next find out which addresses are apartment buildings, which are houses, and which are hotels. Go to Google Maps and enter the first address on your list.
Click on the marker to see what type of accommodation is at the address. If it’s an apartment, Google Maps should show you the name of the apartment and a phone number. The same is true for extended-stay hotels.
In both cases, simply call and ask about vacancies and prices before disclosing your sex offender status.
Things get more tricky when the address is a private house. You need to find the rentals and exclude owner-occupied homes.
Enter the full address into your search engine. If the house is a rental, you’ll get the past rental listings for the property and the landlord’s contact details. When you call be upfront about your situation and discuss the possibility of renting.
Contact Landlords On Craigslist & Facebook Marketplace
The rental sections on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace are great places to find small-time landlords who may offer second-chance rentals to sex offenders.
Find your local Craigslist: https://geo.craigslist.org/iso/us
Search Facebook Marketplace: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/category/propertyrentals/
Be prepared to make a lot of calls. Don’t be anxious about rejections. If a landlord says no, just move on to the next rental on the list.
Here are a few tips to help you search these listings more effectively.
- Use the filters to set your maximum price range so you only focus on affordable rentals.
- You’re extremely unlikely to see “sex offenders accepted” mentioned on any listings, but you sometimes find rentals that say they don’t run background checks. Essentially, they’re open to renting to anyone who can pay rent.
- Avoid listings that mention an application fee. They’re going to run a background check and chances are high they will not rent to sex offenders.
- Rentals listed by a property management company always require a background check. Call to ask if they approve sex offenders, if the answer is no, ask if they know any property managers that do.
- Listings that mention “no credit check” still run background checks. They’re open to renters with bad credit, but they still want to screen out criminals.
- Look at room shares. Homeowners/renters looking for someone to split their bills with may not bother with background checks.
- If possible check for new listings several times a day.
- Work through the listings one by one. If there’s a number to call, you’ll get the quickest response by calling or texting, otherwise, send an inquiry through the site’s messaging system.
- Watch out for scams. Always view a property before parting with any money.
Housing For Sex Offenders Near Me At Extended Stay Hotels
If you’re struggling to get an apartment, an extended-stay hotel could be a viable option. While national chain hotels often run background checks, smaller mom-and-pop operations might not.
Run a search for “extended stay hotels” or “weekly hotels” to find the extended stay hotels and motels in your area – check Craigslist too.
At first glance, an extended-stay hotel might seem more expensive than a house or apartment rental but take a closer look.
Furnished rooms come with private bathrooms and kitchens. Rent includes all utilities, so you won’t need to budget for water, gas, or electricity. You’ll usually get free Wi-Fi and cable, and you won’t need to pass a credit check or provide a hefty security deposit.
Next Steps
With determination and the right approach, it’s possible to find second-chance rentals for sex offenders. To get help and uncover leads, lean on every resource you can, including social workers, charities, parole officers, online listings, and even the registry.
Nathan Rodgers is the Co-Founder, Author, & Head Developer behind Felonhousing.com | Join us in our mission to provide second chances and support.