Comments on: Apartment Evictions Impacting Credit Scores – Episode #108

By: darryl

darryl — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:27:58 +0000

I broke my lease early in 2006, because I got a new job out of town. Now I owe over 5000 dollars with a origional amount of 2000. Do you have any recommendations of how I can find an apartment still or should I file bankruptcy, I live in Indiana.

By: VideoCreditScore-Andy

VideoCreditScore-Andy — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:37:01 +0000

If you have a satisfied judgment and the plaintiff the judgment was awarded to never bothered to give the court an order to mark the judgment satisfied, you can go to the court and request to vacate judgment form. Note, it will remain in your Credit Report (showing satisfied) for 7 years as allowed by law, but this is better than your future potential landlord seeing an unsatisfied Also, you can try to dispute the item via a credit dispute letter to the bureaus. The bureaus will contact the management company and has to hear back in 30 days that the item is accurate or remove it from your file. Here's a sample credit dispute letter

By: Joseph

Joseph — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 04:00:30 +0000

I lived in my apartments for 3 years, a handful of times I worked out a late rent payment with management, which I honored. The first time this happened I got an eviction notice and was told that it was company policy and as long as I paid per our agreement I would not have to worry about it. I specifically asked about it showing up on my credit report and was told that “it shouldn’t but if it does let me know and we will fix it.” I was also told it was not necessary to go to court because they would take care of it(I now know better). This happened each time and now I have those handful of instances showing up as judgments on my credit report. Can I get them removed since I paid per our agreement each time? Does the company have any legal obligation to remove them from my public records portion of my credit report upon my request to do so? Do I have any recourse?

By: VideoCreditScore-Andy

VideoCreditScore-Andy — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:41:20 +0000

If his is a collection, it will fall off his report after 7 years, or in one year since 6 have past. I’m unsure how many years a background check will go. Remember most apartment landlords use a service that provides BOTH credit history and apartment history. If you pay yours off, show you can afford an apartment and offer to provide a larger security deposit, your odds may be decent.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:26:51 +0000

Hello, I have a question. My husband and I want to get another apartment in a 1-2 yr duration. We both have evictions on us. His is 6 yrs old and mine is 1 yr old. However I am making payments to the collection. What is the odds of us getting another apartment? Please help and thank you!!!

By: VideoCreditScore-Andy

VideoCreditScore-Andy — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:11:54 +0000

If you are all paid up then you shouldn’t see any collections items on your credit report. There shouldn’t be anything in your public records since there was no litigation. Ask your landlord how he reports evictions? Most background check companies will call your old landlords to check status. You want him to report you with a clean record. Ask for that in exchange for your full payment. He doesn’t have to comply. He might simply report the facts of your late payments.

This is why I suggest that people be upfront with new potential landlords, explain your situation and offer more of a security deposit to take you on as a tenant.

By: Rene

Rene — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:30:29 +0000

I recieved the final bill from my landlord, i paid it off.. is it still going to hurt my credit? will there be any further complications? whats going to happen next?

By: VideoCreditScore-Andy

VideoCreditScore-Andy — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:36:18 +0000

First, when you have something turned over to collections, the original company is out of the picture — in most cases. Here’s how it works. The company sells your debt for 10 cents per $1 owed, so in your case a collection firm bought that debt for $300. Collection agencies try to shoot for a 50% of the amount as a settlement, so they’d get $1500. That’s how they make money – in this example, $1500 – $300 is $1200 in revenue to them.

Okay, this is why disputing may not help. Disputes are best used when you really are disputing incorrect info. It’s possible the collection agency won’t validate the amount and your credit report will improve. But, if it doesn’t, you should try to settle with them. Don’t send them any money until they sign a document stating that they agree to change your status to settled in full. You can ask for “paid in full”, but many outfits won’t do this.

By: courtney

courtney — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:05:04 +0000

Hi. I cosigned on a apt in 2006 and the person vacated 6 months early without paying. I recently pulled my credit and I owe over 3000 and its with a collections agency. I called the original property and spoke with a manager. She said they are new owners and had no record of anything with my name on it. She said to file a dispute with the credit bureau. I did file with all three. What will happen now? Will the collection agency have different information against me? Will the credit bureau contact the original people like I did? Hope this makes sense. Thatnkyou so very much!

By: VideoCreditScore-Andy

VideoCreditScore-Andy — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:50:26 +0000

Eviction notices usually don’t impact your credit score. They may make it on to your credit report in the form of a public record filing. Landlords do background checking in many situations because they are trying to learn your eviction history. Don’t feel like a failure. Just be honest about how to afford your situation. If you can’t afford the combined costs of daycare, rent, food, etc., you might consider reaching out to family/friends. Many people are moving in together or taking on boarders to save money