# Conviction Age and Apartment Criteria: Compare the Dates

> Write down the key dates for your conviction. We compare them with each property’s lookback period, the date it counts from and any exceptions.

URL: https://felonfriendlyapartments.com/guide/how-conviction-age-affects-apartment-approval/

- [Home](/)

- ›

- [Guides](/guide/)

- ›

- [Apartments That Accept Felony Convictions](/felony-convictions/)

- ›

- Conviction Age and Apartment Criteria: Compare the Dates

GUIDE

# Conviction Age and Apartment Criteria: Compare the Dates

How old a conviction is can matter under a property’s screening criteria. No anniversary guarantees approval everywhere. We check which date each property counts from.

![Wall calendar next to apartment paperwork](/images/misc/wall-calendar-next-to-apartment-paperwork-candid-n.webp)

## What this guide covers

- How to compare your dates with a property's rule

- How to build a dated timeline from your paperwork

- Why an older case can still show up

![Person reviewing dates on documents at a table](/images/misc/person-reviewing-dates-on-documents-at-a-table-eve.webp)

## A date comparison you can actually use

Say you were convicted in June 2018 and supervision ended in June 2021. If a property's written rule uses five years after completion, counting from the conviction gives the wrong answer. If the rule counts from some other event, or that offense has no age cutoff at all, the five year math doesn't apply.

## Build a timeline from your paperwork

- Offense date, if the property asks about it.

- Conviction or disposition date.

- Release date and the date supervision ended, if any.

- Any later change to the case outcome.

Label each date instead of just calling the case “eight years old.” We check how each property handles the anniversary and which document it accepts as proof.

## Older doesn't mean invisible

What a report is allowed to show is a separate question from how far back a community looks. Don't assume a conviction drops off every report after seven years. Read [the two kinds of lookback periods](/guide/criminal-background-lookback-periods-explained/) before you count on an age cutoff.

Our team checks the same questions across apartments and compares the answers for you. A property's building class, neighborhood or special doesn't prove it accepts an older record. Before you pay, we check the current criteria against your dates.

Published by the Felon Friendly Apartment Team. This is general renter information. Each property makes its own decisions, and questions about your own case belong with a lawyer or legal aid.

RELATED SERVICE

## Apartment Help With an Older Felony

We line up your dates with each community's lookback and the event that starts it. The community still makes the decision.

[See how we help with this record →](/felony-convictions/)

## Common Questions

### How old does a conviction have to be before it stops counting?

There's no single number. Each property's criteria set their own window, and some offenses have no age cutoff at all. We check which date each property counts from.

### Which date counts, the conviction or the end of supervision?

That comes down to the property's rule. Some count from the conviction, some from release or completion. Label every date on your timeline so the math is right.

### Does a conviction drop off reports after seven years?

Not always. Federal law sets no seven year limit on convictions, and Texas has its own rule for many reports. A property can still find an older case in public court records.

## Ready to Start Your Apartment Search?

Our help is free to renters. Participating communities may pay our brokerage a referral fee. Tell us what you need, and we'll check each community's criteria against your record.

 [Start My Free Search](/find-apartments/)

## More renter help

[Use renter checklists and budget tools](/renter-resources/) · [Browse the guide library](/guide/)