Which Dallas County Apartments Will Review Your Criminal History? We Check Each One
A Dallas apartment search can start in Oak Cliff and end in Duncanville, Balch Springs or Carrollton, depending on which communities will review your record. We check their written criteria before you spend money on application fees, then send a list of communities whose criteria fit your record. The apartment makes the decision. Fill out the free search form to get started.
Free locating · Licensed Texas brokerage (opens PDF in a new tab)HOW IT WORKS
How a Dallas Search Works in 4 Steps
Tell Us the Basics
Fill out our apartment search form. Share your budget, your move date and the ZIP codes you want. Sharing your record type is up to you.
We Line Up the Rules
We put each community's screening and income rules side by side with your record.
You Get a List
You get a list of Dallas communities whose criteria fit your record.
Confirm Before You Pay
Pick your favorites, and we send each one a guest card and help set up tours. Have the community confirm open units, fees and lease terms before you pay. The community decides.
Records and Situations We Help With Across Dallas County
Felony Convictions
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Misdemeanor History
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Deferred Adjudication
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Drug Offenses
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DUI / DWI
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Theft or Fraud
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Assault / Violent Offenses
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On Parole
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On Probation
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Reentry Housing
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Pending Charges
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Expunged Records
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Narrow down the Dallas side of your search
Tell us the ZIP codes, commute or household needs that matter most. If you're looking at Fort Worth too, compare the commute and costs for each city separately, since they can be very different. For a specific suburb or community, ask us if it's in our search area.
Get your court record from the right office
For Dallas County cases, felony records come from the District Clerk's felony records office. Misdemeanor records come from the County Clerk's criminal courts division. Keep the court and case number from your paperwork handy when you ask. For a case filed outside Dallas County, go to that county's district or county clerk.
We check each apartment's own criteria
No one rule applies to every Dallas apartment. We look at which offenses and case results each community's rule covers. Then we check how far back it looks and if a person will review your case. That goes for listings that say “second chance,” too.
We check income, rental history and credit rules too, not just the criminal history part. Confirm move-in charges with the community. We help with the search, and the community decides on your application.
Local help in Dallas
Our Dallas Local Help guide lists local groups for housing, reentry, food and job help, with how to reach each one.
Areas We Cover in Dallas
We search the city of Dallas and the towns around it. We're a free locating service for renters with a record, and here are some of the places we look. Send us a ZIP code to ask about anywhere else.
Dallas Rental Notes
Dallas County takes in suburbs like Garland, Mesquite, Irving, DeSoto and Lancaster. The city of Dallas itself spills into Collin, Denton, Kaufman and Rockwall counties. Carrollton reaches into Denton and Collin counties, and Grand Prairie stretches into Tarrant and Ellis counties.
A court case stays with the county where it was filed. If your case is from Collin or Denton County, ask the clerks there.
Each community writes its own criteria, so we check them one property at a time.
DART runs buses, the Red, Blue, Green and Orange light rail lines and the Silver Line. The Trinity Railway Express links downtown Dallas and downtown Fort Worth. Plan any trip from the exact address before you choose an apartment.
TDCJ has several district parole offices in the Dallas area. Tell us about any move deadline, and have your parole officer approve the address before you sign.
Local offices to know
- Dallas County District Clerk (felony court records)
- Dallas County Clerk (misdemeanor court records)
- Collin, Denton, Tarrant and Ellis County district and county clerks (cases filed there)
- TDCJ Parole Division, Dallas area district parole offices
- DART (buses, light rail and the Silver Line) and the Trinity Railway Express
Look at the Dallas area first
Start with the map to get a sense of Dallas County. Then check the exact address and how you'll get around.
WHY US
Why Dallas Renters Work With Us
Focused on Your Record
We help renters with a criminal record find a place to live, and we plan each search around your record.
Free Help
Locating is free to you. If you lease at a participating community, it may pay our brokerage a referral fee.
Licensed Under a Texas Brokerage
Our brokerage is Spirit Real Estate Group, TREC #562021. The license is listed on the TREC website.
We Track the Criteria
We keep track of Dallas communities' written screening and income rules.
Plain Answers
If your record will be a hard fit at most places, we say so early. Then we focus on what's left.
Text Follow-Up
Forgot a detail, have a question or spot something we got wrong? Text us back.
Common Questions About Renting With a Record in Dallas
Do you cover Garland, Mesquite and Irving?
Yes. We search there, plus Oak Cliff, Grand Prairie, Duncanville, Lancaster, DeSoto, Carrollton and Balch Springs. Send us a ZIP code for anywhere else.
Does a second chance listing mean the community will accept my record?
Not on its own. The label doesn't tell you much about which offenses or dates a community looks at. We read the community's written criteria instead.
Can you help with a parole deadline in the Dallas area?
Yes. Put the date in the notes on our form. Address approval comes from your parole officer, so get it before you sign a lease.
Where do I get a Dallas County court record?
Ask the Dallas County District Clerk for felony records and the Dallas County Clerk for misdemeanor records. A case filed in another county stays with the clerks there.
Can you search near a DART station?
Tell us the stations or areas you need to reach and we'll search near them. We don't give travel times. Check the trip with DART from each address before you apply.
Where can I find apartments that accept criminal records near me in Dallas?
Fill out our form with your budget, move date and ZIP codes. We check each community's criteria against your record and send a list. The community makes the final call.
Start Your Free Dallas Search
Our locating help is free. Tell us what you need in a home, and we text you shortly after you send the form. Lists usually go out on weekdays, in one to two business days.
A few details help us focus your apartment search.
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Prepare before you apply
Renter tools and budget checklist · Local Help · How our free service works