An eviction is a legal procedure in which a landlord removes a renter from a rental unit. Numerous evictions occur because the renter hasn’t paid rent or because the renter habitually makes late rental payments.
You can face eviction for other causes depending on your lease’s terms. For instance, your landlord might evict you for property damage or using the rental for unlawful reasons. If you’ve faced eviction in the past, obtaining a new lease might be challenging.
Bear in mind that property managers and landlords are frequently reluctant to rent to persons with evictions on their records. Moreover, a landlord could learn about the eviction through numerous channels, including credit reports, tenant screening, and by examining rental history records. Here’s how an eviction affects your record.
Credit Report
A simple eviction won’t appear on your credit reports. However, if the landlord wins a court judgment successfully against you for money to handle repairs or back rent, the judgment will appear on your credit report.
Beware that judgments can remain on your credit reports for a long period up to seven years if you pay it off. In the event that you pay it, it could remain on the report until the statute of limitations on the collection expires.
It’s important to note that the statute of limitations when it comes to collection judgments varies across states. With a judgment on your report, any business examining your credit report will probably presume you faced an eviction.
Unfortunately, the judgment will affect your credit score, making it harder to find a rental in the future. Moreover, it will affect your likelihood of obtaining a loan or credit card approval. Therefore, you must pay off the judgment if you can afford it. While this won’t eliminate it from the credit report, it might enhance your likelihood of securing a rental in the future.
Even if you relocate before the eviction reaches court, it could still affect your credit. For instance, if you owe fees or rent and the property owner can use a lawsuit or collection agency to obtain what you owe.
These actions will appear on your credit report and affect your credit score. A judgment reduces your credit score and obstructs your capacity to obtain future credit.
Tenant Screening
A number of landlords report to corporations that issue these reports. Unlike normal credit reports, renter reports might comprise information regarding an eviction if a monetary judgment was lacking.
Additionally, the reports can comprise information regarding criminal records, your rental payment history, and other personal information gathered from interviews with former neighbors and landlords.
How to Rent with an Eviction
Various alternatives exist to waiting seven years to clear from your record. For instance, you can have evictions removed from your record before the 7-year expiration through expungement. Although it isn’t always possible to have an eviction eliminated, it doesn’t hurt to try.
Moreover, you might have made amends with your former landlord who evicted you. If that’s the scenario, contact them to establish whether they would consider contacting your potential landlord to explain the circumstance while vouching for you as a renter.
Final Thoughts
Renting after an eviction is difficult, so if you can avoid an eviction, discuss the issues with your landlord and consider working out a deal to prevent the eviction. If money is the issue, obtain a second job, decrease your other costs, or consider borrowing from a family member or friend. Nevertheless, it’s still possible to find a rental with an eviction on your record.
For more information on what your record will look like with an eviction, contact us at Apartment Agents or leave a message.
