Three different records
Renters use these interchangeably. Screening systems do not.
| Record | Who initiated it | Where it lives | Typical weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broken lease | You | Rental history, and a balance if one was left | Lightest |
| Eviction filing | The landlord | Justice of the Peace court record | Middle |
| Eviction judgment | The court, after a filing | Court record, plus any money judgment | Heaviest |
A dismissed filing sits between a break and a judgment. A writ of possession is the enforcement step after a judgment, not a separate category.
Why they screen differently
A broken lease is a private matter between you and the landlord unless it generated a balance. Many breaks are negotiated: a buyout, a mutual termination, a reletting fee paid. Those can leave a clean record.
An eviction filing is a public court record from the moment it is filed, regardless of how the case ends. Dallas County eviction cases run through Justice of the Peace courts, and that is where screening vendors source them.
A judgment is the court agreeing with the landlord. If it carries a money component, its satisfaction status becomes part of the screening picture.
Texas does not seal eviction records generally
There is no broad mechanism to remove an eviction from the court record. What changes over time is the property’s lookback window and, where there is a judgment, whether it has been satisfied.
What the property is actually pricing
In all three cases the property is pricing one question: how likely is it that this resident stops paying and has to be removed?
A break with a zero balance says almost nothing about that. A judgment says a great deal. That ordering is why the weights differ.
Two things move the picture in every row:
- Age. Older is better, uniformly, and lookback windows vary between two and seven years by property.
- Balance status. Paid or satisfied reads better than open, always.
If you have both
It happens: a filing that resolved when you moved out early leaves a court record and a rental-history event.
Describe both, plainly and in order. “Filed in [year], dismissed when I moved out, balance settled in [year], documentation available” is a complete answer and it is far better than the property reconstructing it from a report.
Which service page you need
If your record is a break or a balance, start with broken-lease locating, and read renting with a broken lease on record for how properties weigh it.
If it is a filing or a judgment, start with eviction-record locating.
If it is both, either page works — send the whole picture and we will match against criteria for both. Income remains the first gate in every case: 3x rent at most Dallas properties, 2.5x at some, 2x at a few.
We describe what properties require and never promise approval, and we never obtain or store your screening report.