An eviction claim on a tenant screening report can severely affect your ability to rent or own property in the future. An eviction is a court action for you to remove yourself and your belongings from a property due to lack of payment on rent. An eviction itself does not appear on your credit report, but the collection action will remain there until it is paid in full. In addition, the eviction will stay on your tenant screening report or rental history for no more than seven years.
Step 1
Obtain a copy of your credit report and see if the collection notice against you has been noted. If it has been noted, but the debt has been paid, you will need to get this removed. In addition, if it has not been paid in full, you will need to do so for it to be removed from your credit report.
Step 2
Obtain a copy of the record indicating your collection debt was paid in full. This can be obtained through the county clerk's office. The court must keep on record that the debt was paid in full and that the case has been closed.
Step 3
Pay the remaining debt in full if you have not already. Once this debt is paid, retain a copy of the canceled check. Follow up with the court to make sure they have noted the debt has been paid in full and no additional action needs to be taken against you.
Step 4
Contact the three major credit bureaus to notify them that their records need to be updated to reflect this change to your status (see link in Resources). If you do not call, it can take up to two years for the collection proceeding charge to be cleared from your credit report. However, by calling and providing sufficient documentation, this can be removed from your credit report much quicker.
Step 5
Follow up on your credit report and tenant screening report. If you are applying to rent somewhere, your eviction will stay on your tenant screening report for at least seven years. However, it may be removed from your credit report sooner than that.