If you have just been evicted, the first call to make is 211 for a bed tonight, and the next days are about working through the fallout in order: your belongings, your mail, food and benefits, the money you may still owe, and the record that will follow you into your next rental. What to do after eviction breaks down into a sequence of concrete steps, and most of them have resources behind them that cost nothing. An eviction can appear on tenant screening reports for up to seven years, so what you do in the next few weeks shapes how quickly you recover.
Where to Sleep Tonight
Dial 211. The free, confidential hotline operates around the clock in 99% of the United States and connects callers with locally available shelters, transitional housing, food assistance, and other crisis services.1United Way Worldwide. 211 – Connecting People to Local Resources You can also reach 211 by text or at 211.org.2United Way 211. Call 211 for Essential Community Services
Emergency shelters provide temporary beds, meals, and basic necessities. Some communities also offer motel vouchers or transitional housing that gives you a longer runway, sometimes 30 to 90 days. If a trusted friend or relative can take you in for a week or two, ask. Pride makes this hard, but a stable place to sleep clears your head for everything that follows.
Getting Your Belongings Back
Most states require your former landlord to give you a reasonable window to pick up personal property left behind. The specifics vary. Some states mandate written notice and a waiting period of 15 to 30 days before a landlord can dispose of anything, and longer timelines apply to larger items like mobile homes. If your landlord throws out or sells your belongings without following the required notice and waiting period, you may have a claim for damages. Contact a local legal aid office if your landlord refuses access or disposes of your property improperly.
Keeping Your Mail Reaching You
Losing your address means losing a lifeline to courts, government agencies, employers, and creditors, all of whom may be sending time-sensitive documents. Set up USPS mail forwarding from your old address as soon as possible.
If you have no new address to forward to, two options exist. USPS General Delivery lets you receive mail at a local post office without a fixed address, held for up to 30 days.3United States Postal Service. Staying Connected You can also apply for a PO Box even without a permanent address; the local Postmaster has discretion to approve these applications for individuals experiencing homelessness.4United States Postal Service. Is There Mail Service for the Homeless
Food, Utilities, and Rent Assistance
Several federal programs can ease the financial strain, and you don’t need a permanent address to access most of them.
Food
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides monthly funds loaded onto an EBT card for buying groceries.5Food and Nutrition Service. SNAP Eligibility You can qualify for SNAP even if you are homeless, have no fixed address, or lack a place to cook.6Social Security Administration. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Facts Apply through your state’s SNAP office, or ask a shelter or 211 operator for help. For immediate hunger relief, local food banks require no application.
Utilities
If you have secured a new place, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) can help cover heating, cooling, and electric bills, and can even help restore service if your utilities were disconnected.7Administration for Children and Families. Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Contact your state’s LIHEAP office or visit usa.gov.8USAGov. Get Help With Energy Bills
Rent
The large federal Emergency Rental Assistance program that operated during and after the pandemic ended on September 30, 2025, and is no longer accepting applications or distributing funds.9U.S. Department of the Treasury. Emergency Rental Assistance Program Many states and localities still run their own emergency rental assistance programs with separate funding, and these can cover security deposits, first month’s rent, or back rent. Call 211 or search for your state’s program through usa.gov to find out what’s available where you live.10USAGov. Get Emergency Rent Assistance
Handling the Money You Still Owe
An eviction judgment usually includes unpaid rent, court costs, and sometimes the landlord’s attorney fees. That debt does not vanish when you leave the apartment. Ignoring it lets interest grow and opens the door to wage garnishment and further credit damage.
If the debt gets turned over to a collection agency, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act protects you from harassment, threats, and misleading statements.11Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Your Tenant and Debt Collection Rights A third-party collector cannot call at unreasonable hours, threaten you with arrest over a civil debt, or misrepresent the amount owed. If a collector crosses those lines, file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
If a landlord or collector gets a court order to garnish your wages, federal law caps the garnishment at the lesser of 25% of your disposable earnings or the amount by which your weekly earnings exceed 30 times the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1673 – Restriction on Garnishment Disposable earnings means what remains after legally required deductions like taxes and Social Security.13U.S. Department of Labor. Fact Sheet 30 – Wage Garnishment Protections of the Consumer Credit Protection Act Some states set lower limits.
The smartest move, when finances allow, is to contact the landlord or their attorney and negotiate a settlement or payment plan before the debt reaches collections. Many landlords prefer a guaranteed partial payment over the uncertainty of collections. If you can get a written agreement that the landlord will request dismissal or vacatur of the judgment in exchange for payment, that is enormously valuable for future housing applications. A legal aid attorney can help you negotiate those terms.
Free Legal Help
You likely qualify for free civil legal assistance. The Legal Services Corporation funds 130 nonprofit legal aid organizations across every state and U.S. territory, serving households with incomes at or below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines. In 2026 that means up to $19,950 for an individual or $41,250 for a family of four.14eCFR. 45 CFR Part 1611 – Financial Eligibility Find a legal aid organization near you through the LSC website.15Legal Services Corporation. I Need Legal Help
A legal aid attorney can help with the post-eviction issues that feel impossible to handle alone: disputing an incorrect judgment amount, negotiating with your former landlord, sealing or expunging an eviction record, defending against wrongful debt collection, and understanding your rights to property still at the old apartment. Your local bar association may also connect you with pro bono attorneys who handle housing cases at no charge.
Your Eviction Record and How to Limit the Damage
An eviction itself does not appear on your credit report from Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion. If your former landlord sends unpaid rent to a collection agency, however, that collection account will likely show up on your credit report and drag down your score.16Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Does Late Rent Affect My Credit Score
The eviction case itself shows up on tenant screening reports, which are separate databases that landlords check when you apply for housing. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, tenant screening companies generally cannot report eviction court cases more than seven years old.17Federal Trade Commission. Tenant Background Checks and Your Rights Some states impose shorter reporting windows.18Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. How Long Can Information Like Eviction Actions and Lawsuits Stay on My Tenant Screening Record
Disputing Errors
Tenant screening reports frequently contain mistakes: wrong case outcomes, outdated information, or records belonging to someone else entirely. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act you can dispute inaccurate information on any consumer report, including a tenant screening report. Once you file a dispute, the screening company must investigate and correct or delete inaccurate information within 30 days.19Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1681i – Procedure in Case of Disputed Accuracy That deadline can extend by 15 days if you submit additional information during the investigation period, but no further.
If a landlord denies your application based on a screening report, you are entitled to a free copy of that report within 60 days of the denial. Request it, review it carefully, and dispute anything inaccurate. If the screening company refuses to correct legitimate errors, you may have grounds for a lawsuit under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and could recover damages and attorney fees.
Sealing or Expunging the Record
A growing number of jurisdictions, roughly ten states and the District of Columbia as of 2026, allow tenants to seal or expunge eviction records under certain circumstances. The specifics vary. Some states automatically seal records when an eviction case is filed, to protect tenants who ultimately win. Others require you to petition the court after the case concludes. Common pathways include winning the case or having it dismissed, settling with your landlord and filing a joint request to seal, mediating an agreement outside court, or waiting a specified period after the judgment and then applying for expungement. If your state offers sealing or expungement, a legal aid attorney is the best resource for the paperwork.
Renting Again With an Eviction on File
The seven-year shadow of an eviction record makes apartment hunting harder, but not impossible. Larger corporate property management companies tend to use automated screening that flags any eviction as an automatic rejection. Smaller independent landlords are more likely to hear you out and weigh the full picture.
- Be upfront. Mention the eviction before the landlord discovers it on a screening report. Explaining what happened and what has changed is more effective than letting a landlord feel blindsided.
- Show proof of stability. Pay stubs, bank statements, a letter from a current employer, or a reference from a previous landlord who had a positive experience with you all help offset the eviction.
- Offer a larger deposit. Where allowed by your state’s deposit limits, a higher security deposit or several months’ rent upfront reduces the landlord’s perceived risk.
- Find a co-signer. A co-signer with strong credit and income guarantees the lease obligation and can tip the scales.
- Consider nontraditional housing. Renting a room, a duplex unit from an owner-occupant, or housing found through community bulletin boards and word of mouth can bypass formal screening entirely.
If a landlord denies your application based on your tenant screening report, ask which specific information triggered the denial. Sometimes the report contains errors or outdated records that, once corrected, could change the outcome.
If you plan to apply for a Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8), the eviction does not automatically disqualify you, but it can create hurdles. Public housing agencies must deny applicants evicted from federally assisted housing within the past three years for drug-related activity, and they have discretion to deny applicants evicted from assisted housing within the past five years for other reasons.20U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. HCV Guidebook – Eligibility Determination and Denial of Assistance If your eviction was from a private, non-federally-assisted unit, PHAs have more flexibility. Be honest about your history and explain any mitigating circumstances. Voucher waitlists can run months or years, so apply as early as you can.21USAGov. Section 8 Housing
If You Have Children in School
An eviction does not have to disrupt your child’s education. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act guarantees that children experiencing homelessness, including those living in shelters, motels, doubled up with other families, or otherwise lacking a fixed nighttime residence, have equal access to a free public education, including preschool.22Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 U.S. Code 11431 – Statement of Policy
Your child has the right to stay enrolled in their current school even if you have moved to a different attendance zone or school district. The school must immediately enroll your child even if you cannot produce the records typically required, such as proof of residency, immunization records, or previous school transcripts.23Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 U.S. Code 11432 – Grants for State and Local Activities for the Education of Homeless Children and Youths The law also requires school districts to provide transportation to and from the school of origin on request. If the school pushes back on enrollment or transportation, contact your district’s homeless liaison or your state department of education’s Homeless Education Coordinator.