Before you start

Passport, with visa and I-94 if applicable
A California residential address
An SSN or ITIN if you have one; a passport number if not
An opening deposit, which varies by institution

Step-by-step

1
Open a checking account in branch
Bring your passport, California address and SSN or ITIN if issued. Federal Customer Identification Program rules explicitly permit a passport number and country of issuance instead of a taxpayer number for non-US persons.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
2
Mention a pending ITIN if you have no SSN
Banks may open accounts for people who have applied for but not yet received an ITIN. File IRS Form W-7 and keep the receipt.
In personWho: You
3
Consider a credit union alongside the national bank
The Inland Empire has a deep credit-union sector, several with membership open far more widely than the names suggest, grown out of the county, the school districts and the universities. They are frequently better than a national bank on car loans and on thin credit files — which is exactly the position a newcomer is in, in a place where a car is unavoidable.
In personWho: You
4
Set up direct deposit
Give payroll your routing and account numbers. Direct deposit waives the monthly maintenance fee on most US checking accounts, and it also produces the clean deposit history a letting agent will ask to see.
Via employerWho: You and your employer
5
Open a secured credit card in month one
Post a deposit, typically around $500, and get a card with a matching limit that reports to the credit bureaus. Age of history matters as much as behaviour, so the clock is the thing you are buying — and a landlord here will look at it.
OnlineWho: YouMonth 1
6
Set up the Riverside Public Utilities account with the city
Electricity and water both come from the city's own utility, not from Southern California Edison. Register on the city's utility portal; without a US credit file expect a refundable deposit, refunded after a period of on-time payment. Ask what it will be before you sign a lease, because it lands in the same fortnight as the rent deposit.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1
7
Build the transport line into the budget from month one
Fuel for a long commute, a value-based annual registration, insurance above the national average, and either express-lane tolls or a Metrolink pass. In a coastal city this line is small; here it can rival a large share of the rent saving. Work out the real monthly figure before you decide the move is cheaper.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport, with country of issuance serving as the identifying number if you have no SSN or ITIN
Visa and I-94, where applicable
SSN card or ITIN letter, if issued
Proof of a California address
Employer offer letter and recent payslips, which carry real weight with Inland Empire letting agents

Things most newcomers don’t know

The Riverside trade is rent for transport, and most people only model half of it.

Rents here run well below Anaheim's or Long Beach's, which is the reason people move inland. What replaces the difference is a value-based vehicle registration, insurance above the national average, a great deal of fuel, and either express-lane tolls or a monthly rail pass. Households that model the rent and not the transport find the saving smaller than they expected. Households on a rail commute keep most of it.

Source: community-reported

Your credit file, not your salary, decides where you can rent.

Inland Empire landlords screen on credit score as heavily as on income, and a newcomer has no score at all — which reads worse to an automated screen than a mediocre one. An employer offer letter, several months of rent paid up front, or a co-signer are the usual workarounds. Open the secured card in week one; six months of history changes the conversation.

Source: community-reported

Riverside's rent stabilisation ordinance covers mobile home parks, not flats.

Chapter 5.75 of the municipal code limits annual space rent increases in mobile home parks — for tenancies not under a longer lease — to 80% of the increase in the regional consumer price index. That is a genuine protection and mobile home parks are a meaningful share of Inland Empire housing. For an apartment, though, the city has no ordinance at all and your only cap is California's statewide Tenant Protection Act, which exempts buildings under 15 years old. Establish which regime your unit is in before you sign.

Source: City of Riverside — Housing & Human Services

Federal rules let a bank take your passport instead of an SSN.

The Customer Identification Program rule accepts a passport number and country of issuance for non-US persons. Branch staff often do not know this. Escalate politely, or try a credit union, before concluding you must wait for the SSN.

Source: FFIEC BSA/AML Examination Manual — Customer Identification Program

Carrying a balance builds interest, not credit.

Scores respond to on-time payment and low utilisation, not to interest paid. Paying in full each month builds history identically and saves a rate above 20% APR.

Source: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — credit cards

Common mistakes to avoid

Waiting for an SSN before trying to open an account, when a passport is often enough.
Modelling the rent saving without modelling the transport cost that replaces it.
Trying to open a Southern California Edison account at a Riverside address.
Starting a flat search with no US credit file and no plan for the screening.
Paying an avoidable monthly maintenance fee by never setting up direct deposit.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.