1. Tell Us Your Situation: Fill out a quick form – eviction, broken lease, credit issues. Whatever it is, we’ve seen it. No surprises, no lectures.
2. Get Your Apartment List: We match you with apartments that may actually approve you. No wasted applications.
3. Move-in: We walk you through the application so you know what to expect – deposit amounts, income requirements…all of it.

Your Source for Texas Second Chance Apartments for Evictions, Broken Leases, and Bad Credit

We’re licensed Texas Realtors who specialize in one thing: placing renters that automated screening systems reject. If an eviction, broken lease, property debt, credit issue, or bankruptcy is blocking your apartment applications, we match your screening profile to communities that will actually approve you.

The service is free. We work across Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, and over 30 additional Texas cities. Our bonding service network covers 1,080 apartment communities across 391 zip codes as of February 2026. Second chance apartments, 2nd chance apartments, eviction-friendly communities: whatever term you’ve been searching, the process starts here.

Fill out the screening form here and we will respond within 24 hours with your matched community options. Or call 1-877-595-8745.

Eviction History

An eviction on your record doesn’t lock you out of renting in Texas. What matters is the type of eviction (filing versus judgment), how old it is, whether there’s outstanding property debt attached, and what your income looks like now.

A dismissed eviction from three years ago and a judgment with $4,000 in unpaid rent from eight months ago are completely different screening profiles. Different doors open, at different communities, under different conditions. We screen your specific combination of factors against community-level policies before you spend money on an application.

The bond is the primary approval mechanism for renters who are looking for eviction friendly apartments. Recent evictions, old evictions, single evictions, multiple evictions, dismissed filings, judgments. The bond covers all of it. The screening form is what tells us which communities fit your profile.

Broken Leases

A broken lease shows up on tenant screening reports and flags your application the same way an eviction does, even if you left on relatively decent terms. If your former community reported the broken lease to a database like LexisNexis, it’s on your screening report.

Whether the broken lease came with property debt changes the screening picture. A broken lease with zero balance owed is a lighter flag than one carrying $3,500 in collections. But both are workable. The bonding service covers broken lease history across the full range, and we’ve placed hundreds of Texas renters who needed to find apartment that accept broken leases into second chance communities through this process.

Got both a broken lease and an eviction on your record? Still within scope. The screening form captures the full picture so we can match you to communities that accept your combined profile.

Property Debt

Property debt is money owed to a former landlord or apartment community. It surfaces on your credit report, in collections, and on screening databases like LexisNexis. It creates a separate screening barrier on top of whatever eviction or broken lease triggered it.

Paying off property debt is the right long-term move. But here’s what most renters don’t realize: paying the balance doesn’t immediately clear the flag from screening reports. LexisNexis data updates on its own timeline. A renter who paid off $2,600 in property debt last month may still see that debt on their screening report for months after settlement.

The bonding service clears the screening barrier now, regardless of whether the debt is outstanding or recently paid. If your cash is limited, putting that money toward the bond fee and move-in costs at a matched community is often a better immediate housing move than paying old debt and still failing screening.

Bad Credit

Credit score matters less than most renters think. Income drives which communities you can access. Credit just affects your security deposit amount.

A renter earning $5,500 a month who can afford $1,600 rent has options across multiple property classes with the bonding service, whether their credit is 520 or 680. The deposit might run $200 higher with a 520 than with a 680. But the door is still open.

Most communities in our bonding service network require income of 2x to 3x the monthly rent. We know which communities sit at each threshold, and we match based on your actual income, not just your credit score. As of February 2026, income verification is the screening factor that matters most for our clients looking for no credit check apartments.

Bankruptcy

Discharged bankruptcy is workable at most communities in our bonding service network. The bond covers the screening barrier the same way it covers eviction and broken lease history.

Open bankruptcy is trickier. Some communities require the bankruptcy to be discharged before they’ll approve an application. If yours is still open, the screening form captures that detail so we can focus on communities with compatible policies. It narrows the list, but it doesn’t eliminate it.

Why Most Applications Get Denied Before a Human Sees Them

Most apartment communities in Texas run applications through screening software that pulls from databases like RealPage and CoreLogic. When an eviction filing, broken lease, property debt balance, or credit score below the community’s threshold hits, the system kicks back a deny recommendation.

Not a “let’s look at this more closely” recommendation. A deny.

At the majority of communities, nobody overrides that. The leasing agent processes the denial. They may not even know the specifics. The software made the call before a human touched the file.

And that’s why calling leasing offices and asking “do you accept evictions?” produces bad information. The leasing agent might say “we review on a case-by-case basis.” Sounds reassuring. But the screening software doesn’t do case-by-case. It matches the application against preset criteria, returns a pass or fail, and the leasing office processes the result.

That gap — between what leasing offices say and what their screening systems actually enforce — is where renters burn money. Each application costs $50 to $75 in non-refundable fees as of February 2026. A renter who applies blind at five or six communities before figuring this out has spent $250 to $450 with nothing to show for it except a lower credit score from the hard pulls.

We screen your profile against community-level criteria before you spend a dollar on an application. You apply at communities where we already know the screening outcome.

How the Bonding Service Works

Approximately 95% of the time, a bonding service is required to secure approval when evictions, broken leases, property debt, or credit issues appear on a screening report. That’s the reality of second chance leasing in Texas right now. Every competitor site talks about “second chance apartments” without explaining the mechanism that makes approval possible. This is that mechanism.

Here’s how it works: a bonding company steps in and tells the apartment community that if this tenant defaults on rent during the lease term, the bonding company covers the loss for up to three months. That removes the financial objection the community has to approving someone with screening barriers on their record. The community gets its safety net. The renter gets approved.

What it costs: The bond fee runs about one month’s rent as of February 2026. A $1,400/month apartment means approximately $1,400 for the bond. You can pay 100% upfront, or roughly 60% upfront with the remainder spread over five to six monthly payments.

What it covers: Eviction history (filings and judgments), broken leases, outstanding property debt, credit barriers, and bankruptcy.

What it does not cover: Criminal background screening. A separate criterion that each community handles according to its own policies. If criminal history is part of your situation, note it on the screening form. We match you to communities with compatible criminal background policies.

What it is not: A co-signer. A co-signer is a person who signs the lease and takes on personal liability for your rent. The bonding service is a corporate financial product. You’re the only person on the lease.

The narrow exception: Some communities can approve without the bond when all three of these conditions are met: property debt under $1,000, credit score above 600, and income at 3x the monthly rent. This is the exception, not the rule. It’s property-specific, and the only way to know if it applies to your profile is through our screening process.

Applying on Your Own vs. Applying Through StopTXEviction

If you would like us to help you: please complete the screening form at the top of the page and below captures your credit range, eviction type, property debt, income, target area, budget, and timeline. Fill it out and we’ll show you what’s available for your situation. Or call 1-877-595-8745.

Filed vs. Judgment: The Distinction That Changes Your Options

An eviction filing and an eviction judgment are two different records. Most renters don’t know that. Most apartment websites don’t explain it. And the difference changes which communities will approve you and under what conditions.

A filing means the landlord started the legal process — filed a forcible detainer suit in JP court. What happened after that filing is what matters. If the case was dismissed, settled, the tenant paid the balance, or the landlord dropped the suit, the filing exists on the record but there’s no judgment. That’s a meaningfully different screening profile than someone who went through the full court process and lost.

A judgment means the court ruled against the tenant. Usually there’s a monetary award attached for unpaid rent or damages. That creates two screening barriers at once: the eviction record and the property debt.

Why this matters in practice: communities that won’t touch a judgment from two years ago may have no issue with a dismissed filing from the same period. The filing still shows on screening reports. But the screening criteria at many communities treat filings and judgments as entirely different categories.

One thing to know: even a satisfied judgment (where the debt has been paid in full) still appears on LexisNexis and other screening databases. Paying off the debt is the right move. It just doesn’t erase the record from the screening report.

How the Process Works

1. You fill out the screening form. It captures your full profile: credit range, eviction type and age, property debt amount, income, target area, budget, move-in timeline, and household details.
2. We screen your profile against community-specific policies. We know which communities accept which screening issues, what their lookback windows are, and whether the bonding service is accepted there.
3. We present your matched options. You’ll see which communities fit your profile, what rent looks like, estimated bond cost if applicable, deposit range, and timeline.
4. You request tours. You tell us which communities interest you. We coordinate the tours, but you decide where to visit.
5. You tour in person. Walk the property, see the unit, check the grounds. Your call.
6. You apply at your favorite community. On the application, you list Spirit Real Estate as the apartment locator. Done.
7. The community processes your application. Credit check, background check, income verification. Their process, their timeline.
8. You receive a screening email from the community. Answer truthfully. If the bond is required, you’ll receive a payment link for the bond fee.
9. Payment is completed within 72 hours. The community puts the lease together once payment clears.

We’re available through the entire process. Questions about the bonding service, screening results, move-in costs, anything else that comes up between the screening form and the lease signing. We’re here.

On timing: If you’re moving on an urgent timeline, do not use ACH debit transfer for the bond payment. The community will wait for ACH funds to clear before finalizing the lease, which can tack on several business days. For urgent moves, use a payment method that clears immediately.

On income: The bond does not waive income requirements. Most communities require 2x to 3x the monthly rent in gross income as of February 2026. If your income doesn’t meet the community’s threshold, the bond alone won’t get you approved. Which is exactly why the screening form matters. We confirm the specific income requirement at each matched community before presenting it.

Placement timeline: Standard placements take one to two weeks from screening form to lease signing. Urgent cases with clean documentation can move faster. Complex profiles may take two to three weeks because the community match requires more work.

We’ve placed hundreds of Texas renters with eviction history, broken leases, property debt, and credit barriers through this process.

Where We Place Renters Across Texas

Community counts and rent ranges as of February 2026.

Houston has the largest concentration of bonding-service communities in the state. The metro’s size and heavy Class B and C inventory mean more second chance apartment options here than anywhere else in Texas.

Dallas covers the full metro: South Dallas through Garland and Mesquite to Richardson and Plano. Nearly every part of DFW has bonding-service inventory.

Fort Worth punches above its weight for coverage, with Arlington and the Hurst-Euless-Bedford corridor representing the largest clusters.

San Antonio sits at a lower rent baseline than Austin or Dallas. That means total move-in cost with the bond is often more manageable here for renters watching their cash.

Austin is the smallest major-metro network, which reflects the metro’s higher proportion of Class A inventory. The strongest second chance leasing options cluster along the East Riverside corridor, North Austin, and the Round Rock and Pflugerville suburbs.

Beyond the big five: We also place renters in Corpus Christi, El Paso, Waco, Tyler, Killeen-Temple, Bryan-College Station, Lubbock, Midland-Odessa, Wichita Falls, Abilene, San Angelo, Laredo, Amarillo, and dozens of smaller cities across the state.

This Service Is Free

You pay nothing for the locating service. Not upfront, not after you move in, not ever.

When you apply at a matched community, you list Spirit Real Estate as the apartment locator on the application. The community pays a referral fee from their existing marketing budget. That fee doesn’t touch your rent, your application fee, your deposit, or any other cost. Communities budget for this fee whether a renter finds them through a locator, a listing site, or a search engine. The marketing line item exists regardless.

Here’s what you will pay, because every renter with screening issues faces these costs: application fee ($50 to $75), security deposit (varies by community and screening profile), bond fee if required (approximately one month’s rent as of February 2026), and any community-specific move-in fees. We make sure you know all of these numbers before you apply anywhere.

Licensing: StopTXEviction.org is operated by Apartment Access Group. Brokered by Spirit Real Estate Group, LLC, TX Broker License #562021.

Common Questions About Second Chance Apartments in Texas

Can I get an apartment with an eviction on my record in Texas?

Yes. The bonding service is the primary mechanism that makes approval possible for renters with eviction history. What determines your specific options is the type of eviction (filing versus judgment), how old it is, whether there’s property debt attached, your income, and your target area. A dismissed eviction from three years ago and a recent judgment with outstanding debt produce completely different community matches. The screening form captures these details so we can show you what’s actually available.

What’s the difference between an eviction filing and an eviction judgment?

A filing means the case was started in court. A judgment means the court ruled against the tenant. Many filings are dismissed, settled, or dropped before a judgment is entered. Communities treat filings and judgments differently in screening. Dismissed filings open far more doors than active judgments. Both are workable through the bonding service.

How much does the bonding service cost?

The bond fee runs about one month’s rent at the community where you’re approved. For a $1,200/month apartment, expect approximately $1,200 as of February 2026. You can pay 100% upfront, or roughly 60% upfront with the remainder spread over five to six monthly payments. It’s a one-time cost per lease term.

Is this apartment locating service really free?

Yes. The apartment community pays a referral fee from their existing marketing budget when you list Spirit Real Estate as your apartment locator. That fee doesn’t come from you and doesn’t affect your rent or move-in costs. We’re licensed Texas Realtors operating under Spirit Real Estate Group, LLC (TX Broker License #562021). That’s how apartment locating works in Texas. The renter pays nothing for the service.

What if my eviction is recent, less than a year old?

A recent eviction narrows your options but doesn’t eliminate them. Communities that work with the bonding service can approve recent evictions. The community match is just more targeted. And when options are limited, the screening form matters most. It keeps you from burning application fees at communities that were never going to work.

Do I need to pay off my property debt before I can rent?

Not necessarily. The bonding service addresses the screening barrier whether the debt is outstanding or already paid. If your cash is limited, putting that money toward the bond fee and move-in costs at a matched community gets you housed now. Paying old debt is the right long-term financial move, but screening databases like LexisNexis update on their own schedule. A paid balance may still show on your screening report for months after payment.

What income do I need to qualify for a second chance apartment that accepts evictions?

Most communities require 2x to 3x the monthly rent in gross income. The bond does not waive income requirements. For a $1,300/month apartment at a community requiring 3x income, you need to show $3,900/month in gross earnings. We track which communities use the 2x threshold and which require 3x, and we match accordingly. As of February 2026, income is the screening factor that drives community access more than credit score.

How long does the placement process take?

Standard placements run one to two weeks from screening form to lease signing. Urgent cases with straightforward documentation can move faster, sometimes within a few days. Complex profiles with multiple screening barriers may stretch to two or three weeks because the community match takes more research on our end.

Does the bonding service cover criminal background issues?

The bond covers screening barriers tied to eviction history, broken leases, property debt, credit, and bankruptcy. Criminal background screening is separate. Each community runs that according to its own policies. If criminal history is part of your situation, note it on the screening form. We match you to communities with compatible criminal background criteria. Not a hard stop for our service.

What cities and areas in Texas do you cover?

Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Austin are the five major metros. We also cover Corpus Christi, El Paso, Waco, Tyler, Killeen-Temple, Bryan-College Station, Lubbock, Midland-Odessa, Wichita Falls, Abilene, San Angelo, Laredo, Amarillo, and over 30 additional Texas cities. The full network is 1,080 second chance apartment communities across 391 zip codes statewide as of February 2026.

The screening form takes about 2 minutes to complete. Credit range, eviction type, property debt, income, target area, budget, timeline. It captures everything we need to pull your matched community options. Fill it out and we respond within 24 hours. Or call 1-877-595-8745.

Help

Here’s how StopTXEviction.org can help you

All of the information and resources are available for free.

• Get helpful information about the eviction process, broken leases and what communities accept renters with credit or background issues.
• Discuss your housing needs with a licensed real estate agent that specializes in second chance rentals.
• Find out about rental assistance like the Texas Rent Relief Program and other local resources in your area.
• Access broken lease and eviction friendly apartments in Texas – Get help now!

• How It Worked

When a landlord wants to evict a tenant for not paying rent, they have to go to court. Under the previous program, the court has to offer the parties a chance to apply for up to six months’ worth of rent. If the landlord and tenant work together to apply and get this rental assistance, the court would then dismiss the eviction case. That way the landlord got paid and the tenant staid in the home. The judge would also possibly seal the court record so that future landlords won’t see it and hold the eviction case against the tenant.

• Who created the original Stop TX Eviction program?

The Texas Supreme Court created the program after Governor Greg Abbott allocated more than $171 million from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to help tenants and landlords who were struggling financially due to COVID-19. Other public and nonprofit organizations helped design and carry out the program, including the Office of Court Administration and the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Local organizations worked with state agencies and local courts to distribute the funds.

• Find out where to apply for rental assistance

There are a variety of sources for local rental assistance or to find apartments that accept broken leases and evictions but this website does not provide legal services. One source of rent help is the Texas Rent Relief Program and as we continue to update this website you will be able to continue receiving help from a licensed real estate agent that does apartment locating for 2nd chance apartments available to TX residents.

For more information regarding rent relief visit Texas can get help here based on locality here. You can also call the Texas Legal Services Center 1-855-270-7655 by phone.