Residents in Dayton with an eviction on their record now have an opportunity to start fresh.
The Dayton Municipal Court will now allow certain eviction records to be sealed.
"In fact, we already do this for criminal convictions and bankruptcy. Why should an eviction be treated any differently?"
Close to 3,000 eviction cases were filed in Dayton Municipal Court last year.
The new program allows people to apply to the court to seal their eviction record for free.
If applicants have more than one eviction filed within the past three years, the court could deny sealing their record.
Dayton Municipal Court Clerk Marty Gehres said he would like the state to offer a similar program.
"Our courts cannot solve this problem alone. The Ohio State House should take action that allows all Ohioans a chance and a fresh start, regardless of where they live," he said. "In fact, we already do this for criminal convictions and bankruptcy. Why should an eviction be treated any differently?"
Applications and information packets can be found in the self-help center of the Dayton Municipal Court at 301 W. Third St. Gehres also said staff are available to help people with questions about the new rule.
After filing an application, the clerk will send notice to the landlord's attorney or the landlord themselves. The landlord will then have 21 days to file a response after initial contact.
"So the process, you come down here, we have right here a cheat sheet that allows you to know exactly what happens. This right here is an application that you file and then is filed at the civil counter," Gehres said, gesturing to the wall of papers in the self-help center. "And then that will be processed by the magistrates and then a ruling would come out."
Either party involved has the opportunity to request a hearing on the application in question. If approved, the case will be removed from the case management system and the website. The file will then be stored in a sealed and secured location, away from public files.
Affordable housing crisis
Finding affordable and safe housing can be very difficult for any resident with an eviction on their record, according to Gehres.
“It is very difficult for individuals with an eviction on their record to obtain long term, stable housing," he said. "A lot of local landlords and landlords around the country use databases that get all the public records, and then they won't rent to people who have an eviction on the record.”
Gehres said he has been working on this local program since he started the position two years ago and he hopes this change will allow for more stable housing across the city.
“Most of that is notification to attorneys and other people so that they can raise issues that they might have with it," he said. "So we have been working on it for the past two years, and we're very excited that it's been passed now.”
