How to Remove Eviction From Tenant Screening Report?

An eviction record can hurt a tenant for years. If you are in the process of finding a new apartment to live in, the eviction record will make it nearly impossible. That’s because many landlords reject tenants who have an eviction history. However, there are few options available for the tenants to remove or dispute these records. Read on, and let’s explore how to do it. 

How do Landlords Use Screening Reports to Assess Risk? 

One of the main interests of landlords is to protect their investments. That’s why they rely on tenant screening reports. These reports are often generated via tenant screening software and reveal your credit history, criminal background, and past evictions. Property owners will use this data to predict if you will pay the rent on time. On top of that, they will check if you are a person who may damage the property or break the lease terms. 

Screening companies usually gather information from multiple sources. For example, they pull data from credit bureaus such as Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion. Court records will show eviction filings and judgments. Likewise, public databases can reveal criminal convictions. Landlords refer to social security validation in order to confirm your identity. When combined, all this will create a complete picture of your rental history. 

Many landlords pay for these reports using the application fee you pay. However, this process will take only a few minutes. There are automated systems that can flag concerning patterns, and if a landlord notices a red flag, your application will be rejected. 

Is an Eviction a Major Red Flag?

Yes, evictions are considered one of the biggest red flags by landlords. A single eviction can block you from housing for years. Likewise, multiple evictions will almost guarantee rejections. That’s because property managers see eviction history as proof that you will not pay rent or follow lease terms. 

To get a better understanding of how bad it is, let’s take a look at the numbers. A tenant who has an eviction record will face rejection rates above 75%. Going through an eviction is a big deal for landlords. They lose their time, including rental income, during the eviction process. In other words, a typical eviction may cost somewhere around $3,500 to $10,000 for a landlord. They will also risk property damage and legal fees during an eviction.

If you encountered an eviction, it would stay on your screening report for a period of 7 years. However, some states will allow even longer reporting periods for court cases. Even if an eviction record is dismissed, it can still appear on your report. Winning the case will not erase the filing. 

You should also keep in mind that an eviction record can hurt your credit score because all unpaid rent during the eviction period will go into collections. These judgments will eventually appear on credit reports and result in possible housing problems you’ll need to face. 

Due to these reasons, you need to make sure that your landlord follows the correct procedure for filing an eviction. If landlords fail to follow proper legal notice procedures required by your state, you may be able to sue for damages resulting from wrongful eviction.

How to Remove Eviction From Tenant Screening Report?

If you have an eviction on your record, you will want to get it removed for good. However, this process is not going to be an easy thing to do. The strategy you need to follow would vary depending on your specific situation. Let’s take a look at a few options available to consider. 

Check for Errors and Inaccuracies

You can start off by carefully reviewing the tenant screening report to spot mistakes early on. For example, identity mix-ups will lead to a wrongful eviction on your report. In here, all case information would be false. 

If you encountered a rental denial, you could go ahead and request a free copy of your screening report. However, you need to do it within a period of 60 days. Once you have the report, you can compare eviction details against court records. This is where you will find wrong addresses, dates, or case numbers.

Once you spot a mistake, you need to start gathering supporting documents to dispute it. This is where you can get court papers that show case resolution or dismissal of your case. You can also get lease agreements that provide eviction protection from someone else. If you paid the rent on time, you need to find the payment receipts to proceed with a dispute.

File a Formal Dispute 

According to the Federal Law, screening companies need to proceed with investigating disputes within 30 days. This is where you can contact the tenant screening agency that offered your reports. While contacting, you need to clearly explain the errors and attach your supporting documents. 

They will also contact the landlord courts to verify the information you provided. If the agency cannot verify the eviction, they will go ahead and remove it from the report. You need to keep all copies of correspondence and proceed with regular follow-ups. 

If you are a landlord, you should be careful not to evict tenants wrongfully. This is where the assistance of a property manager becomes useful. Bay Property Management Group Philadelphia prioritizes clear communication and formal notice delivery to mitigate risks of wrongful eviction.

Final Words

 As you can see, evictions can create serious problems for tenants. They will appear on the screening reports for up to seven years. All landlords consider them as major red flags, and that’s why you will encounter an immediate rejection. However, there is still a possibility to fight back, but you need to do it strategically.

You can start off by screening your rejection report for errors. Then you can spot the inaccuracies and proceed to dispute them. Removing the eviction records will take time and persistence. However, trying these methods will improve your housing chances significantly.