Need Honest Advice

[mo71275]

Good evening. I just found out that I have an eviction on my record from 2015. I know that even though my income is good, I am pretty much screwed as far as renting or buying another place. What do you recommend I do as far as being able to rent a new place? I think it's best to be up front and ask the renters ahead of time if they will accept a single eviction. What are your thoughts? Or should I just look for private owners?

 

[reenzz]

Private owners can easily look up evictions in local court websites. Your best bet is to be honest with the landlord. Showing the landlord proof that the eviction judgement has been paid off may help as well.

 

[adjusterjack]

I agree you should be up front about it. Especially if you are going to be paying fees for credit and background checks. However, it was 5 years ago. How has your rental history been for the past 5 years? Why are you moving out of your current place? What are your goals? Do you want to live in an apartment or a house? There are so many variables that all I can suggest is that you talk to potential landlords and see how it goes.

I agree with Reenzz that any unpaid judgments may be a problem.

 

[Just Blue]

Good evening. I just found out that I have an eviction on my record from 2015. I know that even though my income is good, I am pretty much screwed as far as renting or buying another place. What do you recommend I do as far as being able to rent a new place? I think it's best to be up front and ask the renters ahead of time if they will accept a single eviction. What are your thoughts? Or should I just look for private owners?

What state?

 

[Gail in Georgia]

In my neck of the woods, many private landlords haven't a clue on how to check for previous evictions (or even do credit checks) which may explain the high rate of evictions in my county and the casual attitude of many renters. When I mention to my fellow landlords that local evictions are available for free online some look at me like I've just come from the planet Mars.
This tends to explain why many renters seek out private landlords.

This does not, however, guarantee that you may never be able to rent or purchase a property. As previous asked have you repaid this judgment against you?

How has your rental history been since 2015?

In some cases offering (or you may be required) a double security deposit may help in this situation.

Gail

 

[adjusterjack]

In some cases offering (or you may be required) a double security deposit may help in this situation.

Illegal in some states. Arizona, for example, limits a security deposit to 1 1/2 month's rent. Another state I came across recently limits it to one month.

However, if the 71275 in OP's avatar is a zip code, it's in Louisiana which does not have a limit on security deposits.

 

[quincy]

Not only can the state name be important but also important is the reason for the eviction. Not all evictions are for nonpayment of rent.

Private landlords (especially those with a single rental unit or house) may not do very thorough background checks so renting from them is a possibility. It can also be possible to rent after an eviction from a large property management company if you have a co-signer with a good credit history on the lease.