How to Get an Eviction Off Your Record: Your Full Guide
Evelyn Sanderson - February 22, 2025
Dealing with an eviction on your record can be stressful, and you no doubt want to figure out how to get an eviction off of your background check report and tenant screening report as soon as possible. Removing an eviction from your record may be possible in some states, while others have stricter laws about disclosure of your eviction and rental history.
Our article gives you more information about evictions and tells you how to get an eviction off your record.
What Are the Most Common Reasons for Eviction?
You might be faced with eviction for a few different reasons, but the most common reason is not paying rent. While some people may experience significant life events and life changes, such as injury or the loss of a job that affects their ability to pay rent, others may simply stop paying for other reasons. Sometimes, your landlord will be able to work with you if there is a life event that genuinely affects your ability to pay rent.
The other most common reason for eviction is breaking the terms of your lease, such as conducting illegal activities on the property that you are renting. It’s important to understand the terms of your lease to know what you can and cannot do on your rented property to avoid facing an eviction.
Can I Stop a Landlord From Evicting Me?
Once an eviction has been started, it is generally not possible to stop a landlord from evicting you. This is because an eviction is a legal process that involves the landlord meeting certain court requirements in order to evict you. Generally speaking, the only way that an eviction could potentially be stopped is if you pay any debt that you owe to your landlord, including rent, and you settle the issue with your landlord outside of court.
Keep in mind that even if you stop an eviction and settle your debt with the landlord out of court, they may still terminate your lease and refuse to keep renting to you in the future.
What Happens After I Am Evicted?
After you have received an eviction notice from your landlord, you will have a certain period of time to remove yourself from the property. In most states, this is 30 to 60 days. Some landlords will allow you to pay any outstanding rent and debt to stop the eviction process, while others will insist that you pay the debt that you owe and still vacate the property. Depending on state laws, you may also be required to see your landlord in court to settle the eviction process.
How to Get an Eviction off Your Record
It may be possible to get an eviction off your record, but there are generally a few steps and different agencies that you need to contact. You can read through our tips below for getting an eviction off your record and understanding what your options may be.
Take Wrongful Evictions to Court
If you believe a landlord has wrongfully evicted you, you may need to meet your landlord in court to settle this issue. This is especially common if you withheld rent and placed it into an escrow while the landlord fixed something on the property or there was a dispute. While you can go to court against a landlord by yourself, we recommend seeking the help of a legal professional skilled in tenancy laws in your state.
If you do successfully fight a wrongful eviction, it will generally not go on your report, and you won’t have to deal with an eviction affecting your rental prospects in the future.
Settle Debts
Settling your eviction debt is one of the most important things to do if you have an eviction on your record and you are worried about how it will affect your future rental prospects. Generally, if a landlord has evicted you and taken you to court for the eviction, you will have reached a payment plan or an understanding where you pay any of the rent or damages owed to the landlord. By finishing this payment plan and settling your debts, the eviction is effectively settled, and you can start to attempt to remove records of the eviction from your report.
You should keep in mind that some states do not allow evictions to be removed from your credit report and background check report until seven years have passed; you must check state laws regarding disclosure of evictions to understand what your options are.
Request Collections Remove Your Eviction
Collections agencies will list your eviction and place it on your credit report, especially if you reached a settlement with your landlord and needed to make payments to remove your debt. However, once you have settled your debts or successfully fought a wrongful eviction, you can contact collections agencies to have the eviction removed from your report.
You may need to view your credit report online to understand which collections agencies have your details; from here, you can contact the collections agencies directly to have the eviction removed from your report. This should also allow the eviction to fall off of your credit report.
Request Tenant Screening Services Remove Your Eviction
Many landlords and property management companies utilize tenant screening services to screen potential tenants and ensure they are suitable for housing. Once you are evicted, this report will end up on your tenant screening report, allowing future landlords and property managers to understand your rental history.
If you have settled your debts or successfully fought a wrongful eviction, you can request that tenant screening services remove this entry from your report. You may need to speak to your most recent landlord or property management company to figure out which tenant screening service companies to contact and make your request.
Double-Check Your Record
After working with collections agencies and tenant screening services to make requests that evictions be removed from your report, you will need to double-check your record. Double-checking your record can allow you to identify any errors and to make sure that the eviction is fully removed from your report.
If you still notice that this entry is on your report, you can make another request to have the eviction removed or contact the collections and tenant screening services as necessary to inquire about why the eviction is still on your report.
How Long Does an Eviction Stay On My Record?
An eviction will typically stay on your record for between seven to ten years. Most states have laws regarding how long evictions stay on your credit report and background check report, but seven years is around the average amount of time that this record will stay on your report.
You can work with collections agencies and tenant screening services to try and remove your eviction history from your reports before this time limit, but some states may not make this possible.
Will an Eviction Drop My Credit Score?
Experiencing an eviction can drop your credit score, and in some situations, this drop may be significant. It’s important to regularly check your credit score and monitor your credit history, as this affects your ability to take out loans, be eligible for certain types of housing, and even find employment in certain professions.
There are plenty of free credit report and checking services around, so use one of these to keep an eye on your credit report before, during, and after eviction.
Can I Rent With an Eviction On My Record?
It is possible to rent with an eviction on your record, though this might be a challenging process depending on where you are trying to live. Many landlords may require additional security deposits, several months’ rent at a time, and positive references before they are willing to rent to you.
You can show a landlord or a property management company that you would be a good tenant by settling any outstanding eviction debts as soon as possible and collecting positive references from friends, employers, and previous landlords. All of this and a strong track record of renting after an eviction has occurred can help you secure housing more easily.
Dealing With an Eviction’s Aftermath
Dealing with the aftermath of an eviction can be challenging, especially if you aren’t too sure how to get this removed from your record. Fortunately, many states allow you to request that an eviction be removed from your credit report until screening reports once you settle the debts or successfully fight a wrongful eviction.
Reach out to a legal professional in your jurisdiction if you have questions about what to do when faced with an eviction or what your next steps are after dealing with an eviction. Also, consider searching your name with our advanced reverse search tools in order to get a lay of the land for any previous issues that might be on your record before making your next move.
