Guide
An eviction on your background check is not yours. What next?
Guide sources checked October 22, 2026 · Sample letter guidance checked October 26, 2026
Notice and availability wording updated November 1, 2026.
You do not recognise the eviction on your rental screening report. Start with the exact entry, not a guess about what happened.
A possible mixed file means information about someone else may have been attached to your report. A name mismatch needs verification.
This guide helps you document the differences and request an investigation. You can dispute directly without paying Rentpass.
Source: FTC, Disputing errors on your tenant background check report
Build a specific dispute, not a general denial
Get the report the landlord used
Ask which screening company supplied the information and which record affected the decision. Request the report from that company. After adverse action, you have 60 days to request your free copy. Keep the notice and the report together.
Source: CFPB, Rental application denied because of a screening report
Identify the exact court record
Write down the court, case number, defendant name, address and dates exactly as reported. Compare those details with your own records. If the underlying eviction record appears wrong, contact the court to check it. A similar name alone does not establish whose case it is.
Explain the mismatch with supporting copies
Mark the disputed entry on a copy of the report. Say which details differ and what each attached document supports. For example, an old lease might document your address during the reported tenancy. That address difference is evidence to investigate, not proof by itself. Send copies; keep your originals.
Source: FTC, Disputing errors on your tenant background check report
Send it to the right recipients
Dispute with the screening company and the identified person or company that supplied the information, called the furnisher. Follow phone contact with a written dispute. Do not assume the court or the landlord who denied you supplied the record. Tell that landlord you are disputing it.
Keep the submission and response together
Save what you submitted and any confirmation or delivery record. Record when the screening company received the dispute. Keep its written results with your evidence. Compare the response with the particular mismatch you raised, rather than assuming a new report resolves it.
Source: 15 U.S.C. 1681i(a)(1) and (a)(6)
No report yet? Use Request your file. For the wider denial process, read our apartment background-check guide.
What a specific dispute can say
The FTC recommends describing the issue and including copies of supporting documents. This example shows one way to organize those details.
Sample dispute letter — fictional details
Not a customer case or a Rentpass finding. Replace every bracketed field with details you can support.
[Date]
[Your name and mailing address]
[Screening company and its verified dispute address]
Subject: Dispute of eviction entry [case number] on report [report reference]
I dispute the eviction entry on page [page number] of my screening report dated [report date].
The entry lists [defendant name], [rental address], [court] and case number [case number]. These are the details in the attached report.
I do not recognize this case as mine. My attached lease lists [your address] for [dates covering the reported tenancy].
The lease supports my address during that period. It does not, by itself, establish who the court record belongs to.
Please investigate whether this entry belongs in my file and review the attached documents. Correct any information your investigation finds inaccurate.
Please send me the written results and an updated report if the investigation changes it.
Attached copies
- Screening report, disputed entry marked on page [page number].
- Lease, relevant address and tenancy dates marked on page [page number].
[Your name]
Free editable text, with preparation notes and sources. Nothing is submitted. Replace the placeholders and keep only claims your documents support.
Do not claim a document proves more than it shows. Omit any attachment you do not have and describe the evidence you actually hold.
Use the screening company’s verified channel and follow its identity-verification instructions directly. Keep originals and a copy of everything you submit.
Source: FTC, Disputing errors on your tenant background check report
Track receipt, not just the day you sent it
30 days
The general reinvestigation period
It begins when the screening company receives your dispute, not when you were denied or mailed the letter.
Relevant information you provide during that period can allow up to 15 additional days.
That extension does not apply if the information is found inaccurate, incomplete or unverifiable during the initial 30 days.
Written results generally must follow within 5 business days after completion. These periods do not promise a correction or an apartment.
Source: 15 U.S.C. 1681i(a)(1) and (a)(6)
Keep identity documents out of Rentpass
Before uploading here, black out Social Security numbers. Do not upload identification documents. This is our upload rule, not a screening-company requirement.
A screening company can ask you to verify your identity. Follow its verified channel’s instructions directly, not through Rentpass.
Source: FTC, Disputing errors on your tenant background check report
If the answer does not address your evidence
Keep the response and your supporting documents. The CFPB explains complaint options and links to legal help when a dispute remains unresolved.
An accurate record that belongs to you is not a mixed file. Neither a dispute nor this guide promises an outcome.
Read your documents together
The free Rental Readiness Report compares your uploaded rental records and supporting documents. Identity differences stay Needs verification without sufficient matching evidence.
Paid checkout and new dispute-package purchases are currently paused while payment verification and delivery are validated. Your free findings remain available, and you can dispute directly without paying Rentpass.
Attach your own original-page copies when you submit. Rentpass does not store your original files or submit disputes for you.
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