How Long Does an Eviction Stay on Your Record in Texas?

Every renter with an eviction asks the same first question: how long does this thing follow me? The honest answer is two different timelines running in parallel — one for the court record and one for tenant screening reports. Understanding the difference is the difference between a productive apartment search and months of denials.

Two record systems, two timelines

Texas JP court filings are permanent. Under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 76a, court records are presumed open to the public. The eviction filing at the Justice of the Peace court where your case was heard stays in the public record forever — regardless of outcome, regardless of payment, regardless of dismissal. A judgment for the landlord stays. A judgment for the tenant stays. A dismissal stays. Nothing removes it.

Tenant screening reports have a limit. Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (specifically 15 U.S.C. § 1681c), consumer reporting agencies generally cannot report civil suit records — including eviction filings — more than 7 years old on consumers earning under $150,000 annually. Screening companies like SafeRent, CoreLogic, LexisNexis, and Experian RentBureau are supposed to purge older records from the reports landlords actually see.

What this means in practice

When a landlord runs a screening report on you, what shows up depends on when the eviction was filed:

• Under 7 years old: eviction filing appears on the screening report
• Over 7 years old (properly purged): eviction should NOT appear on the screening report
• Over 7 years old (not purged): appears anyway — dispute it under the FCRA

The court record itself remains findable if the landlord looks directly at JP court records. Most landlords don’t — they rely on the screening report. But some property managers, especially at properties handling high-risk applicants, will pull county court records directly.

Age bands and approval odds

Even before the 7-year window closes, eviction age affects your rental approval odds in predictable bands:

• 0-12 months (under 1 year): hardest. Most Class-A and mid-market properties auto-deny.
• 1-2 years: still difficult. Class-B and independents open up somewhat.
• 2-3 years: significant improvement. Most Class-B and mid-market will manually review.
• 3-5 years: wide options. Nearly all Class-B, most mid-market, some Class-A.
• 5-7 years: near-normal approval odds with clean rental history since.
• Over 7 years: should be off screening reports entirely.

Our eviction age approval odds guide covers each band in depth.

How balance status interacts with age

Age isn’t the only factor. Balance status (paid, unpaid, dismissed, in collections) interacts with age in complicated ways:

• A 2-year-old paid balance is generally easier to place than a 2-year-old unpaid balance
• A dismissed filing over 3 years old is usually easy to place with documentation
• A 6-year-old unpaid balance is often harder than a 6-year-old paid balance
• An over-7-year filing with any status should generally not appear on screening

For open-balance placements, see our unpaid balance service.

How to check what’s actually on your record

Two places to look:

1. Your own tenant screening report — pull from SafeRent, TransUnion SmartMove, or Experian RentBureau. This shows what most landlords will see.
2. JP court records — search directly at the county where your eviction was filed. Every Texas county’s JP court has an online records portal.

Our check your history guide walks through the process by county.

What to do if your eviction is over 7 years and still showing

Screening companies sometimes fail to purge older records. If your eviction is over 7 years old and still appearing on your screening report, you have Fair Credit Reporting Act rights to dispute:

1. Request a free copy of your screening report from the company named in your latest adverse action notice
2. Confirm the filing date is more than 7 years ago
3. File a written FCRA dispute directly with the screening company
4. Include a copy of the court filing showing the date

The screening company has 30 days to investigate. Most disputes for over-7-year records succeed on procedural grounds alone.

Our FCRA dispute guide walks through the process.

The bottom line for Texas renters

• Court filing: permanent, never removable, but usually not what landlords check first
• Screening report: 7-year FCRA window; can be disputed if erroneous or expired
• Approval odds: improve meaningfully at 2, 3, 5, and 7 years

Understanding where your specific eviction falls on this timeline is step one of any productive apartment search. From there, we route you to properties that will actually approve your file at your current age band.

Ready to see your options? Head to our home page or reach out at 808-213-6770.