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Contemporary Information Corp (CIC) provides rental owners with timely, relevant, data-driven solutions spanning criminal records, housing court records, identity verification, and compliance assistance. The goal is to help landlords gain a better understanding of tenant applicants and the risk they may pose.
It’s important to emphasize that an official eviction public record is far different from an eviction notice. The latter is simply posted on the resident’s door by the property manager. It often results in no action being taken, as the tenant pays the past-due bill to avoid eviction. Alternatively, they may simply leave the premises before they face a potential eviction. In either case, matters have not escalated, which is to the benefit of both parties, as the space is paid for or at least available to rent, and the eviction notice has not generated any public record.
With an eviction appearing in public records, the case has progressed to court, with the tenant evicted, a more serious matter. Public records known as eviction filings also exist. These only indicate that a case was filed, not that the eviction ended in court action.
In many states, eviction records remain public for seven years. This holds true for California, where court filings and judgments are made publicly available, while actual evictions appear on the person’s record only when a judgment is rendered within 60 days of the initial filing of the case. This is accomplished through filing evictions in “limited jurisdiction,” with the cases masked automatically from the public the first 60 days and masked permanently if no judgment is rendered within that time.
Some in California who go through the eviction process request a sealing of the eviction record, so that it doesn’t affect landlord screenings and other background checks. This is permissible where the case was dismissed, or the tenant has won. It’s also allowed when the landlord fails to adhere to proper legal procedures, or the tenant has settled with the landlord. In some cases, a hearing is required to seal the records.
Landlords find knowledge of publicly recorded evictions invaluable, as they indicate specific types of problematic behavior. In addition to nonpayment of rent, California public eviction records may indicate lease violations or criminal on-premises activity. There are also no-fault reasons for evictions, such as the demolishing of the unit (which requires relocation payment) and owner-move-in. In New York City, eviction records cannot be used in making rental decisions, as they are not registered publicly if they involve violation fees totaling $1,000 or less.
It’s important, as a rental property owner, to carefully select a trusted risk-mitigation provider that filters wide-ranging data and only provides that which is relevant and legally permissible. Contemporary Information Corp fulfills such mandates through the access it provides to the Regulatory Matrix, which actively filters out information that cannot be used. For example, any California eviction records dating back more than seven years are hidden, as are any non-admissible records from New York City. As a result, clients can make the safest, most knowledgeable decisions possible while respecting the law.
