Can A DUI Destroy Your Credit Score In Houston?
If you have been convicted of a DUI, it is going to affect a whole lot of things in your life. However, it is unlikely to have an effect on your credit score. It typically does not become part of a credit report. Your conviction is kept on record at the Department of Justice. Your criminal conviction will be discovered in case a background check is run on you but it has no connection with you being financially responsible. However, you should know that there are circumstances where it may indirectly affect your credit score.
For instance, if your DUI conviction has resulted in fines and/or restitution, and you have not paid those, it is going to have a negative effect on your credit score. When you do not pay the fines, you will violate your probation. In such cases, the case may be sent to a collection agency by the court. This collection agency will report it to all the major credit reporting agencies as delinquent debt.
In case there is a judgment against you as a DUI defendant for injury to another person or damage to property, it is reported to all the credit bureaus. This is why responding to lawsuits should always be prioritized as failure to do that will lead to a default judgment and that is definitely going to affect your credit score.
You must have found out by now that a DUI conviction has an effect on a whole range of things in your daily life and routine. It comes into the picture when you apply for a new job, change your state, updates your driver’s license, or reinstate your driver’s license in a new state or your current one. If you have a DUI conviction, it will also result in higher insurance premiums. Paying a higher premium is not going to directly have any effect on your credit score but you could have allocated that extra premium towards other necessities and things that you may not be able to buy now.
It has the potential to have a negative effect on your credit score indirectly if you are unable to take care of your financial obligations. Even if it is your first offense without any injuries or wreck, a DWI or DUI conviction comes attached with high fees and those fees will affect you financially. A DUI judgment can have a significant negative effect on your credit score, in certain circumstances, as these remain public on your credit for a period of 7 years even when you have paid them. This is why it is recommended to hire the services of a reputed and experienced attorney to discuss the details of your case and to help understand how your DUI conviction may affect your credit score.
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