How to Rent With an Eviction on Your Record

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You’ve found the perfect apartment online, but you’re hesitant to apply due to a past eviction. You’re anxious and hopeful. While securing a rental with a prior lease termination is challenging, it’s far from impossible. You can clear this hurdle with the right strategy. Here’s how to rent with an eviction on your record, covering everything from building a strong application to understanding your rights. 

1. Own Your History and Be Prepared to Explain

Landlords will discover the eviction during routine screening. They use a tenant screening report to decide on possible tenants and determine how much to charge for security deposits. It includes everything from credit reports and rental background to employment verification and criminal history. 

Being up-front about your eviction gives you more control over the narrative, while hiding it immediately creates distrust. To craft your explanation, write down a brief summary — around 2-3 sentences — of what happened. It should be factual and acknowledge your responsibility. Ensure your explanation ends with how your situation has improved since then and why it won’t happen again. 

2. Gather Your Financial and Personal Documents

Assemble a physical and digital folder with all the necessary documents for quick and organized applications. Ensure it includes the following:

• Proof of income: Prepare evidence that you have a consistent and reliable income source. These may include 3-4 recent pay stubs, a letter of employment on company letterhead or tax returns if you’re self-employed.
• Financial stability: Demonstrate responsible financial habits and a healthy savings buffer with bank statements covering 2-3 recent months.
• Positive references: Include written letters of recommendation from current and past employers, mentors or even a previous landlord from before the eviction. These will vouch for your character and reliability. 
• Valid verification: Keep a clear copy of your driver’s license, passport or any other government-issued photo ID in your portfolio. 

3. Create an Application Budget Strategy

Application fees, ranging from $30 to $75, are non-refundable. They can quickly add up, creating a significant financial burden during an already stressful time. 

To minimize wasted fees, apply only to places where there’s a realistic chance of approval. Prepare a mini-script when calling leasing offices. Consider this example — “Hello, I’m very interested in the one-bedroom apartments you have listed. Before I pay the application fee, could you tell me if a past eviction from [X years] ago is an automatic disqualification for applicants?” 

4. Strengthen Your Application

Bolster your application by demonstrating your financial stability through:

• A larger security deposit: Offering to pay a larger deposit can signal confidence and provide the landlord with extra security. Before doing this, check local and state laws, as some jurisdictions cap the maximum allowable deposit. 
• Advance rent payment: If it’s financially feasible, offer to pay the first two or three months of rent up-front. This is a powerful gesture of goodwill and financial stability. 
• A co-signer or guarantor: A co-signer shares equal responsibility for the lease and often lives in the unit, while a guarantor is simply a financial backstop who pays only if the tenant defaults. Look for someone with a strong credit score and income, and who fully trusts you and understands that they’re legally bound to the lease agreement. 

Navigating Your Rights and Rental Future

Now that you know how to rent with an eviction on your record, why not turn your setback into a stepping stone with the right knowledge? Consider the following. 

Know Your Rights as a Renter

The Fair Housing Act protects people looking to rent, buy a property and do other housing-related activities from discrimination. While an eviction is not a protected class, a landlord cannot use it to mask illegal discrimination. 

If you suspect your potential landlord is discriminating against you due to your prior lease termination, document everything and contact your local Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) office. You can also report it to a nonprofit fair housing center for guidance on your tenant rights. 

Rebuild Your Rental History for the Future

The best way to nullify a past eviction is to build a new, positive rental history. Consider these tips. 

• Always pay rent on time or even a few days early, and use online payment portals that create a clear digital record. 
• Communicate with the landlord politely and professionally for any maintenance requests. 
• Keep the property clean and be a considerate neighbor. 

After a year or two of this positive history, you can ask your landlord for a glowing reference letter. This will be a powerful tool in all future apartment searches and may be valuable to any real estate professionals you might work with later. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the answers to common questions about renting with an eviction. 

How Hard Is It to Rent With an Eviction on Your Record?

It’s more challenging than renting with a clear record, but it’s not impossible. Landlords are running a business, and they see a past eviction as a major risk for unpaid rent and potential property damage. Your job is to prove you’re now a safe and reliable choice. 

Privately owned properties managed by an individual are often the best bet, as the owner can listen to the story and make a judgment call. Large complexes managed by corporations often have rigid screening policies that automatically reject anyone with an eviction. Interestingly, reports show that large landlords often file eviction cases more often than smaller landlords. 

How Long Does an Eviction Stay on Your Record?

For up to seven years, credit reporting agencies can report eviction and other negative details about your credit account payment history. The negative impact lessens over time. A five-year-old eviction is viewed less severely than one from six months ago, especially with a strong recent history of employment and on-time payments. 

Secure Your Keys to a Fresh Start

Use these strategies to empower your journey to becoming a tenant. Leverage proactive honesty, a complete “renter’s portfolio,” a smart application budget and in-depth knowledge of your rights. Remember that an eviction is a past event, not a permanent definition of who you are as a tenant. With the right preparation, you can demonstrate your current reliability and trustworthiness.