Options after an eviction

If you've already been evicted, there are things you can do to protect yourself from losing housing in the future. The information below can help answer some questions you may have.

rental considerations

First, the most important thing is to make sure you rent a property that you can afford. You can find a list of trustworthy sources for affordable housing here.

According to Ohio law, if you do not pay your rent, you can be evicted -- regardless of other circumstances. So make sure you understand what your full payment responsibility will be, including rent and utilities, with all the other bills you have to pay each month. And always, always make sure you pay your rent.

Now, there are some things you should do with future rental units. Think of these as ways to protect yourself in case something goes wrong. We always want to hope that it doesn’t, but it’s best to be prepared.

• If you sign a lease, make sure you understand everything that is in it. Do not just take your landlord’s word for it, even if it is someone you know or trust. Read the lease carefully and ask for any changes you don’t understand or agree with.

• Document everything. Take pictures of the condition of your home when you move in and when you move out. Ask for receipts for each rent payment you make, and keep them. Keep copies of all communication with your landlord, including emails, texts, and anything on social media. Keep a file of all these things in a safe place in case you need them.

• Keep an open line of communication with your landlord. Be polite with them and try to maintain a good relationship. If something does come up, like if you lose your job or have a medical emergency and can’t make your rent payment on time, talk with them about it as soon as you can -- in the best case, before you miss a rent payment. They may be willing to work with you. If they are, make sure you get any agreement in writing.

• Know your rights and protect them. Your landlord has responsibilities to you, just like you have to them. Make sure they follow through with what they’re supposed to do. You can learn more about your rights in our renters’ rights booklet, found here. And if you think your landlord is not keeping up their end of the relationship, contact a lawyer to find out what you can do.

Sealing an eviction

Once a landlord files to evict you in court, that filing goes on your record. Even if the eviction case gets dismissed, even if you stay in the home, even if you fight the eviction and win -- it still shows up on your record.

If you’ve ever filled out an application to rent, you know that this question comes up. And if you have an eviction on your record, the landlord may just throw out your application. So, it can make it really hard to find affordable housing.

The idea of sealing an eviction record is fairly new. There isn’t any clear law in the state of Ohio for this, but we’ve had some clients who have been able to seal their records by asking the court to do so.

In our experience, there are a few things that make it more likely or easier for you to argue that your eviction record should be sealed, like:

• If your eviction was dismissed because you paid what you owed or fought and won your case

• If your eviction was from a long time ago, and you haven’t had any problems with landlords since then

If you think you may be a good candidate for sealing an eviction record, it’s best for you to talk to a lawyer about it, so you can get advice on how to move forward. You can call your local bar association and ask for a lawyer who specializes in landlord-tenant law or apply for Legal Aid.