There's an eviction on my record — and it isn't mine

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Your first move — do this today

Request your free report copy from the screening company named in your denial (you have to be told who they are — ask in writing if the landlord didn't say). Then dispute in writing: identify the eviction entry, state plainly "this record belongs to a different person," attach the mismatch evidence, and ask for deletion. The company must investigate — typically within 30 days — and delete what it can't verify as yours.

Same name, different person — screening databases match records by name and birthdate at national scale, and people with common names collect strangers' evictions. In our scan of the federal CFPB complaint database, "that record isn't mine" is the most common pattern in complaints mentioning the biggest screening data brokers.

Your case is strong when

The court record names a different middle name, birthdate, address history, or state you've never lived in.

Evidence to gather

Your ID and proof of your addresses for the period in question (leases, utility bills)
The actual court record if you can pull it — the mismatched details are your proof
The screening report itself, requested free after the denial

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.

Will this cost me anything?

No. The report copy after a denial and the dispute investigation are both free under federal law. Anyone charging you to 'remove' a mixed file is selling you a letter you can write yourself.

The apartment is gone — why bother?

The record follows you to the next application. Cleaning it once stops the same denial from repeating at every future landlord using the same database.

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 · transunion 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.