Do you always need a good credit score to rent an apartment?

Okay, so my boyfriend and I are making plans to get an apartment together in the late spring.
There are several apartment complexes in our area that always seem to have rooms available…1bedroom places. They are okay, decent, but not stellar. 500–550/month and that includes electricity, water, and heat. That’s the price range for about 3 different apartment complexes we are looking at in the area.

I’m going to call a bunch of these places and ask soon but will they turn us down for having NO (not bad) credit. We both have bank accounts, but not credit cards. No debt to speak of either. No criminal records either, lol.

I can see high-end places wanting good credit but this isn’t high end at all. What are your experiences with this? As long as you pay up the deposit (first months’ rent, stated by these places), do they tend not to worry much about credit?

I’d rather get a cheap place than a more expensive one cause he earns minimum wage and I get around $13/hr…more money not spent on rent the better. and all 3 of these places allow cats but not dogs and I’d like to get a cat someday.

If they don’t allow no credit, can I just put my dad on the lease? He said he’d do that for me but I’d like for that not to happen.