Restraining Orders and Background Checks

My question involves restraining orders in the State of: New Jersey

Hello all;

I'm going to be added onto a lease (hopefully) and we are concerned about the restraining order that I have against me. My question is just how much would the landlord be able to see when it comes to the background check?

EDIT: The RO was for an assault charge and the charges were dropped because the plaintiff never appeared in court. The only thing on my record is the RO.

Cheers;
~Thermisto

It depends on exactly what the landlord checks as part of the background, and what company they use to provide the info. There isn't a standard. If they check criminal background only, that generally means arrest record, and a civil restraining order won't show; however, a criminal protection order probably will. If they check civil AND criminal court records, they'll likely find it. Checks that include both are usually more expensive for the requestor to run, so it depends on how thorough the landlord wants to be.