How to Get an Apartment Judgment Off a Credit Report

Late credit and loan payments are not the only things that can negatively effect your credit report. If you don't pay your apartment rent, your landlord might be able to get a judgment against you in court. He can then report it to the credit bureaus, or they might find it while electronically harvesting court records. If you don't get the apartment judgment off your credit report, it can negatively impact your ability to get loans and credit cards and to get insurance or a job.

Instructions

1

Request a free copy of your credit report from each of the major credit bureaus. Transunion, Equifax and Experian are all required by law to give you one free copy each year. This will allow you to double-check whether the apartment judgment is actually showing up on your report.

2

Negotiate with your landlord. If you agree to pay the judgment, she may agree to request that the information be removed. Otherwise, she may give you a a "Release and Satisfaction of Judgment," which you can use to prove to the credit bureaus and future landlords, creditors and potential insurers or employers that you have paid the amount you owe.

3

If your landlord refuses to negotiate, go over your credit reports again, and look for any inaccuracies that might give you grounds to dispute the apartment judgment. Under the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, you have the right to file a dispute with each of the credit bureaus if you believe you have found incorrect information. They are responsible for verifying it, and if they cannot do so, they must remove it from your report.

4

Re-check your credit reports to see if they have responded to your dispute by removing the apartment judgment after their investigation. They will do this if the information does turn out to be incorrect or if your landlord doesn't respond to their requests for verification.

5

Add a consumer statement to your credit report if the credit bureaus refuse to remove the apartment judgment but you still feel that it's incorrect in some way. This statement will give your side, and it can be viewed by potential creditors, insurers, and employers.

6

Check the legal period that apartment judgments can remain on your credit report in your state. Usually the period runs between seven and ten years. At the end of that period, make sure that the judgment is removed from your credit report by notifying any of the bureaus to do not remove it automatically.