Cosign helps renters with less-than-perfect credit get into their dream pad

FARGO — It really bothered Zach Schofel. After years spent buying and renting apartment buildings through his family s New Jersey-based real estate company, Schofel repeatedly saw good applicants get turned down as prospective renters. Many of them had a steady job and money in the bank, but fell short on one screening item, Schofel told The Forum. The leasing team could not make an exception, because a property has to hold every applicant to the same standard due to fair housing laws. And unless the applicant had a family member with good credit to cosign the lease, that renter was out of luck. It prompted Schofel to partner with his brother Jacob and a friend, Philip Newsom, to form Cosign, a third-party lease guarantor platform and cosigner alternative designed to expand renter access while protecting property owners. The company officially launched in January 2025. Roughly 40% of active renters struggle to qualify for the apartment they want, whic