In this article:
- Does an Eviction Show on Your Credit Report?
- How Long Does an Eviction Stay on Your Record?
- Can You Get Evictions Removed From Your Credit?
- How to Rent an Apartment After an Eviction
- How to Avoid an Eviction
Evictions aren't part of your consumer credit report, but they may appear in tenant screening reports—also called tenant background checks—that landlords and property managers request when you apply for housing. If you owe rent or fees and the debt is sent or sold to a collection agency, the collection account could wind up in your credit reports and hurt your credit scores. The collection account can stay there for up to seven years from the date your payment was past due.
Does an Eviction Show on Your Credit Report?
Evictions are public records, but they don't appear on your credit reports. The only public records that are part of your credit reports are bankruptcy filings.
But landlords often get your credit history and credit score as part of a tenant screening report. These reports can also contain your rental history (including evictions and lawsuits), employment verification, a criminal history report and whether you appear on sex offender registries or terrorist watchlists. Some reports also come with a risk score—similar to a credit score but created for landlords instead of creditors.
How Long Does an Eviction Stay on Your Record?
Eviction records can stay in your tenant screening reports for up to seven years. The same seven-year timeline also applies to other public records, such as judgments, Chapter 13 bankruptcy and information about lawsuits. However, Chapter 7 bankruptcy can stay on your report for up to 10 years, and there's no limit for criminal convictions.
Learn more >> Can Late Rent Payments Hurt My Credit Score?
Can You Get Evictions Removed From Your Credit?
Evictions don't appear on your credit report, but getting evictions removed from tenant screening reports and public records could be possible depending on the situation. Here are a few options you can look into.
Dispute Inaccurate Eviction Records
You have the right to dispute information in your consumer reports, including credit reports and tenant screening reports.
Although you might not be able to remove accurate records of collection accounts or evictions, you can dispute inaccuracies and errors, such as duplicate entries for the same eviction. According to a study of 3.6 million state eviction cases in 2021, 22% of those were ambiguous or false records.
However, it can be difficult to clear the errors from every report because many companies create and sell tenant screening checks. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) maintains a list of consumer reporting companies, including major tenant screening companies. There are descriptions and contact information for each company. But smaller tenant screening companies might be included.
Review the State Laws
Some states have procedures for sealing eviction records—limiting who can see the record—or expunging, which removes the eviction record from public view altogether.
The law might require the court to automatically seal or expunge an eviction record in certain circ*mstances. Otherwise, you'll need to bring the case forward yourself.
Your rights and the process can vary widely, so try to find information that's relevant to where you lived when you were evicted.
Contact an Attorney
An attorney who specializes in housing law may have insight that can help you remove evictions from your records. You could try contacting a local legal aid clinic or other organizations that might offer free legal assistance—LawHelp .org could be a good starting point.
Learn more >> What Do Landlords Look for in a Tenant?
How to Rent an Apartment After an Eviction
A landlord might hesitate to approve your rental application if you've been evicted, but you do have some options for making your case for getting a rental.
- Explain the situation. If the circ*mstances surrounding the eviction have changed, explain what happened and why it won't happen again.
- Offer more money upfront. You might offer to pay a larger security deposit or prepay the first month's rent.
- Get a letter from your previous landlord. If you've worked things out with the previous landlord since the eviction, you could see if the landlord would write a letter of recommendation.
- Have other references ready. See if you can get rental references from other landlords or other types of references from your employer, previous roommates or colleagues.
- Get a cosigner. Ask a creditworthy friend or family member if they can cosign the rental agreement.
- Look for a rental that doesn't require a background check. Although it's not common, some landlords don't require a tenant screening check. They might still check your credit report or score, but won't see the eviction.
In general, you might have a better chance of renting from someone who has one or two rental properties than a large company.
Learn more >> How to Get Approved for an Apartment
How to Avoid an Eviction
There are a few things you might try if you're facing a potential eviction.
- Reach out to your landlord. Discuss the issue with your landlord and see if you can work out an arrangement. If you're behind on rent because of a temporary setback, like a medical emergency, maybe you can work out a payment plan. Even if you can't avoid the eviction altogether, you might be able to come to an amicable agreement about when you'll move out and keep the eviction out of the courts.
- Know your rights. The legal justification for evicting tenants can vary widely depending on the city and state. Learn when and why a landlord can evict you and what rights you have as a tenant. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) links to information about tenant rights in every state. You can also search for tenant union organizations in your city or area, as members may have helpful information or resources related to evictions.
- Get help with bills. You might qualify for financial aid that can help with utilities, rent and other necessary expenses. The 211 hotline, FindHelp.org and National Low Income Housing Coalition could be good places to get referrals.
- Contact a housing counselor. Nonprofit credit and housing counseling organizations might be able to connect you with a housing counselor who can offer free advice.
The website JustShelter also has links to national and state-specific resources that you might find helpful.
Learn More >> How to Get Credit Counseling or Financial Assistance
Monitor and Build Your Credit
A past eviction can make finding housing difficult. In addition to the steps above, having a good credit score might help landlords see you more favorably. You can use rent reporting services to add on-time rent payments to your credit reports, which can help some of your credit scores. A free Experian account also comes with ongoing credit report monitoring, FICO® Score☉ tracking and the Experian Boost®ø feature, which you can use to add eligible rent payments to your Experian credit report.
