My Rental & Eviction History: Can It Be Repaired?

If you’ve looked at your rental history report and noticed it doesn’t paint a good picture of you – or you have been turned down for a rental unit because the landlord purchased a copy of your report – you may be wondering if you can take action to repair it.

The answer is maybe, but it’s going to take time and energy on your part.

First, are there any errors on the report? You don’t want a report showing that you have an eviction record if that isn’t true. Take action to fix those errors first.

Second, review the other areas of the rental history report that show negative information about you. If you have a bad credit report and credit score, start working to clean up your act. Pay your bills on time, make larger payments on any debts to make them smaller, and don’t open or close any accounts. Repairing your credit report will take time, but it probably will pay off in the end.

If you have a criminal record, you won’t be able to repair this section of the report. What you can do is maintain a clean report from now on. As time passes, this will show landlords that you’ve changed your behaviors and dealt with the consequences as handed down by the court system. Some states will remove criminal acts from background checks after a certain number of years pass.

Finally, also look at your rental payment history section of the report. If it shows that there is a collection agency searching for you to pay off an existing debt to a prior landlord, be sure to clear that up immediately so it appears as closed on your report.

How to Fight an Eviction You Think Is Wrong

If you receive a legal or official notice of eviction, make certain that the notice contains accurate information. It’s important to do some research to confirm that the notice is in accordance with the law in notifying you of your upcoming eviction. This is especially important because you’ll need to know how to fight an eviction you think is wrong.

The reason you want to check that your landlord filed the notice legally – and that the eviction is justified – is because this information appears on your rental history report. In fact, the notice of eviction is listed, as well as the date of eviction, if it follows through. If you do end up evicted and attempt to find a new apartment, you might discover landlords refusing to rent to you because they’ve looked up your rental history report and see that you have an eviction history.

How to know if an eviction is on your record:

Get a copy of your rental history report to check it over for eviction records, as well as other background information like your criminal history and your credit history. If you find any information that is inaccurate, take steps immediately to correct the errors.

Here’s how to fight an eviction you think is wrong:

Take legal action – contact an attorney who specializes in rental agreements. Share with the attorney all information and correspondence you’ve had with your landlord, including a copy of your lease agreement, the notice of eviction, and any supporting evidence you have against the notice of eviction. The attorney will handle notifying the landlord if he thinks your eviction notification is in error, and will also be responsible for filing the case in court if your landlord wants to continue forward with the eviction process.

Your Rental History Report & Good School Districts

As a parent, you want the best for your children, and that includes a top-notch education. Many families pick homes based on the quality of the school district those homes are located in. And sometimes those homes end up being rental homes, either for the short term or for many years to come. Your rental history report comes in handy when looking for good school districts.

When applying for a good rental home in a quality school district, it’s important to review your rental history report first. The reason is you can see what landlords would see when they conduct a background check for your application. If you’ve led a good life without any previous problems with landlords and don’t have a criminal record, your rental history report should provide the landlord with a glowing recommendation for your application. However, sometimes human errors occur, and even if you have a clean record, an error on your rental history report would say otherwise.

So before you start applying for apartments in the school district you want your children to attend, be sure to review what is in your rental history report, and take immediate action to report and correct any inaccurate information. Once your report is clean and presents you in a good light, then fill out those applications for rental homes in that stellar school district and start planning your next move, just in time for the school year to begin.

How Can I Check My Criminal Record for Free?

Anyone interested in applying for a job or to rent an apartment should anticipate a background check will be conducted. This helps to determine if they are a good candidate for the job or apartment complex. This background check can bring up prior eviction records, criminal records and credit history that might not look favorable to the reviewer.

If you know you have a criminal record, or have been involved in the legal system, but think that your criminal record should be clear, you might want to take a look to see what a landlord or job interviewer will see about your past.

With a bit of research and digging, you can usually check your criminal records for free. Court records in many counties are often available online, and searchable by name and social security identification. In the U.S., court records are usually posted by the county the case occurred in, so you will have to search all the counties you lived in to gather a complete report. This process can be very time consuming, and there is a chance the records won’t be complete.

You can also call the records office for the county to see if your criminal record is available. There is a good chance the county will charge you a processing fee, and again, you’ll have to contact each county you lived in to receive the records for that county.

A much easier way to check your criminal history report is to purchase it from My Rental History, where you’ll receive not only all of your criminal records, but also any eviction records, your credit history and any other information a job interviewer or landlord will want to know about you. Know what’s on your rental history report before you apply for the job or apartment, so you can put your best face forward and impress the employer or the landlord.

What Information Can Potential Landlords Legally Ask You For?

If you’re looking to rent a house or apartment, are there some things that landlords can legally ask you for, and others that are out of bounds. Here are a few examples of what landlords can request, and what they can’t.

Landlords can retrieve information about past rental history, criminal records, and conduct a credit check on tenants.
Landlords can’t ask about anything that could be deemed discriminatory based on a prospective tenant’s race, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or existence of a disability, according to the Fair Housing Act.

A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is that landlords can request any information that would be objectively indicative of your ability to pay rent, but not about superficial information that wouldn’t be relevant to your tenancy.

Landlords can deny your application based on information they find in a tenant background check.
Landlords can’t withhold the information they used, such as a credit report, that caused you to be denied a rental agreement.

The landlord must provide the source of the information, and in the example of a credit report, you are entitled to a free report from the credit reporting agency.

Landlords can ask for information such as pay stubs or bank account statements to prove that you are able to afford the rent.
Landlords can’t force you to provide this information.

You are within your right to withhold any information you don’t feel comfortable providing. You may not get the apartment, but it’s better to look elsewhere if you feel like sensitive information would be compromised. You are also entitled to ask how a landlord will use any information you are asked to provide.

One of the best ways to even the playing field with potential landlords is to get your own rental history report. That way you can learn about any potential blemishes that landlords may discover before you pay an application fee.