Guide
Does an Eviction Show on Your Credit Report? Court Records vs. Screening Reports vs. Credit Reports
How the three kinds of records differ. Justice of the peace court records are public and stay on file. Screening reports follow the 7 year limit in the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and credit reports show only the debt.
In this guide
Many renters we talk to mix up three completely different record systems: court records, tenant screening reports, and credit reports. They don’t show the same things or keep them for the same amount of time, and each has its own way to fix mistakes. So does an eviction show on your credit report? Not the filing itself. Only a related debt, like a collection, can show up there.
System 1: JP court records (public, and they stay on file)
Every eviction case in Texas gets filed in a Justice of the Peace court, and that court keeps the record. Those records are open to the public by default.
What it shows: the case number, who was involved, the filing date, how it ended, and any money awarded. A case can end in a judgment, a dismissal, or a nonsuit, which means the landlord dropped it.
How long it stays: the court keeps its listing of the case (the docket) permanently, so the filing and outcome stay on record. The case papers are a different story: the court only has to keep those for 4 years, or 12 if there was a money judgment. Texas judges rarely seal court records. The main Texas sealing rule, Rule 76a, sets a high bar, and it doesn’t allow sealing the judgment itself. Texas has no law for expunging an eviction either (see our expungement guide).
Who can see it: anyone. It’s usually free to search online if your county has a JP portal. Otherwise, you call or visit the clerk. From what we see, landlords rarely bother. They’d rather buy a screening report.
Disputes: usually only for paperwork errors. A dispute can’t change how the case ended. For questions about your own case, talk to legal aid or a Texas attorney. Once you pay off a judgment, ask the landlord to file a release (satisfaction) of the judgment with the court, and keep a copy.
System 2: Tenant screening reports (7 years under FCRA)
Screening companies like SafeRent Solutions, RealPage, TransUnion SmartMove, RentGrow (Yardi), and AppFolio pull court records and rental history to build reports for landlords.
What it shows: eviction filings, judgments, balances, and how the case ended. Most include a credit summary, criminal background, and rental history too.
How long it stays: eviction data usually drops off 7 years after the case was filed. That’s the rule under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, or FCRA (15 U.S.C. § 1681c (opens in new tab)).
Who can see it: landlords who pay for the screening service. From what we see, this is what most Texas landlords actually look at.
Disputes: file an FCRA dispute for anything that’s wrong on it. See our dispute guide.
System 3: Credit reports (debt tracking only)
Credit reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion track debts and payment history. They don’t show eviction filings, and the big three bureaus stopped listing civil judgments in 2017. Bankruptcy is the only court record they still list.
What it shows: any collections account or charge off for an unpaid eviction balance.
How long it stays: collections and charge offs show for about 7 years from the date you first fell behind. A paid collection can stick around that whole time, just marked “paid.”
Who can see it: landlords who pull credit as part of screening, lenders, and in some cases employers.
Disputes: file with the credit bureau, the company that reported the debt, or both. It’s the same FCRA process as any credit dispute.
What each system shows, side by side
Eviction filing itself:
- Court record: yes
- Screening report: yes (usually up to 7 years)
- Credit report: no
Balance owed to former landlord:
- Court record: yes (if there was a judgment)
- Screening report: often
- Credit report: sometimes (if it went to collections, not as a judgment)
Payment status of the balance:
- Court record: a satisfaction of judgment, if one was filed
- Screening report: should update to “satisfied” once the payment gets reported
- Credit report: paid collections marked “paid”
How the case ended (dismissed or judgment):
- Court record: yes, spelled out
- Screening report: often shown but sometimes vague
- Credit report: not tracked
How long it stays visible:
- Court record: stays on file (sealing is rare)
- Screening report: up to 7 years under the FCRA
- Credit report: about 7 years from when you fell behind (related debt only)
Why this matters for renters
The screening report is where your eviction hurts you most. It’s what most of the landlords we work with pull. Start there.
What we tell clients to do, in order:
- Pull your screening report first. That’s what landlords see
- Check for mistakes and dispute them under the FCRA
- Check your credit report for collections tied to the eviction
- Check court records only if something is unclear or a screening dispute needs the court paperwork
- Get a release of judgment on file if you’ve paid off a judgment
Our check your history guide walks you through pulling each one. For court paperwork like a release of judgment, TexasLawHelp.org can point you to legal aid in your county.
What renters often get wrong
“Paying will remove the eviction from my record”: no. Paying can update the balance on screening reports and get the collection marked paid on your credit report. The court filing doesn’t go anywhere.
“After 7 years my eviction is gone”: the screening report should drop it, but the court filing stays. Most landlords won’t see it after 7 years. But one who searches the court records directly could still find it.
“Credit repair companies can remove my eviction”: no. They can dispute items on your credit report, like a related debt. Court records are out of their hands. A mistake on a screening report gets disputed with the company that made it, and you can do that yourself for free.
“If it’s not on my credit report, the landlord won’t see it”: not true. Screening reports include eviction data that credit reports don’t, and that’s what landlords pull.
Where to focus first
If you only fix one thing, fix the screening report. For renters with evictions, that’s where approvals are won or lost. Your credit report matters for related debts, and court records mostly matter as the proof you send in with a dispute.
Ready to check what’s on yours? Start with our check your history guide. If you'd like to know which properties may approve you, fill out the form on our home page.
