My eviction case was dismissed — but it still shows up

Free. No signup. We never ask for your name, Social Security number, or payment.

Your first move — do this today

Get the disposition from the court first — it's the whole dispute. Then send the screening company a written dispute: the entry, the actual outcome, the document attached, and a request to correct or delete. If the case was sealed or expunged, say so explicitly; sealed records generally shouldn't be reported at all.

A filing is not a judgment. Screening databases often ingest the court filing and never update the outcome — so a case you won, settled, or got dismissed reads as an eviction to every landlord who pulls the report. Reporting a dismissed case as if you lost is exactly the kind of inaccuracy the dispute process exists for.

Your case is strong when

You have the court disposition showing dismissal, sealing, or judgment in your favor.

Evidence to gather

The court disposition document (the clerk's office can provide a certified copy)
The screening report showing how the case is being described

Copy-paste letters (fill in the brackets)

To get your free report — send to the screening company named in your denial letter (use the contact route on its official site or in the letter itself):

I was denied [housing / employment / a bank account] on [date] based on a consumer report you supplied. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act I request my free copy of that report. My name: [full name]. Address: [address]. Date of birth: [DOB]. Please send it to the address above.

To dispute an error — send with copies (never originals) of your evidence:

I dispute the following item in my file: [describe the entry exactly as it appears]. It is inaccurate because [not mine / paid on date / dismissed by the court / wrong amount]. Enclosed: [list documents]. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, please investigate and correct or delete this item, and send me the result in writing.

Keep a copy of everything you send, and send by a method you can prove (certified mail or the company's own dispute portal).

Your three rights after a denial

Be told who screened you — the landlord, employer, or bank must identify the company behind an adverse decision.
The report itself, free — request your copy from the screening company (federal guidance: within 60 days of the denial).
Dispute, and they must investigate — inaccurate items must be investigated (typically 30 days) and corrected or deleted if they can't be verified.

Full plain-English walkthrough on our home page.

The landlord already denied me — can the correction help now?

Ask the landlord for reconsideration once corrected; some will. Either way the next application won't trip on it.

What if they 'verify' it anyway?

You can add a statement of dispute to your file, complain to the CFPB at consumerfinance.gov (it's free and companies must respond), and your state attorney general handles screening complaints too.

What disputes can't do — and we won't help with

Disputes fix errors. They don't erase history that's true — accurate records survive investigation. If the record is real, what helps is settling and documenting it, second-chance programs, and time. We built this site for honest people hit by wrong records.

Companies most often behind this situation: lexisnexis risk · saferent · corelogic rental. Based on FCRA consumer rights as explained in FTC and CFPB guidance, checked August 2026. General information, not legal advice. Free official complaint route: consumerfinance.gov.