# Apartments That Accept Felons in Texas | Locating Help > Search for Texas apartments that consider felony records. Discuss your case outcome, budget and move date with our free locating team before applying. URL: https://felonfriendlyapartments.com/felony-convictions/ # Find Texas Apartments That Accept Felons Looking for apartments that accept felons in Texas? We help you find options in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio, and our help is free. Each community decides if it will review and approve an application. [Start Your Free Search](/find-apartments/) ![A renter with a moving box arriving at a garden style Texas apartment](/images/misc/renter-with-moving-box-arriving-at-garden-style-te.webp) ## What You Get - How each community's written rules treat your felony, by offense, outcome and dates - Which communities offer individual review and which deny felonies outright - A check of the income, rental history and credit rules on top of the record rules - A straight answer when most criteria we see rule out your situation - Free help from our licensed Texas locating team ## Start with the policy that applies to your case The word felony alone doesn't tell you which apartments will consider you. We check how each community's current written criteria apply to your offense, disposition and dates. Then we build the search around your area, budget and move date. ## What Decides If a Community Will Review Your Felony Each Texas community writes its own criminal background rules. Most of those rules turn on a few things: - **Who manages the property.** Some management companies use one rule at every property they run. Others let each property set its own. Two similar buildings on the same street can answer differently. - **How old the case is.** Many rules count back a set number of years. Others name offenses with no time limit. See [how conviction age affects approval](/guide/how-conviction-age-affects-apartment-approval/). - **The type of offense.** Many written rules sort violent, sex, drug and property offenses into separate groups, each with its own rule. - **How the case ended.** A conviction, a deferred case and a dismissal are different outcomes. A screening report can still list a case that didn't end in a conviction. See [how background checks work in Texas](/guide/how-apartment-background-checks-work-in-texas/). - **Where your sentence stands.** Some rules treat active probation or parole differently from a sentence you've finished. ## What we check before you apply - Does the rule look at your final conviction or just the original charge? - Which date starts any lookback period? - Do they offer individual review, and who does it? - What income, rental history and credit rules apply on top of that? Keep copies of your disposition and completion papers for yourself. Our form doesn't need your court file or Social Security number. ## Go into your next application with the facts Written criteria often count back 3, 5, 7 or 10 years. A recent release usually means fewer options, so tell us your conviction and release dates. Most places screen every adult who'll live there. Let us know who's moving in with you, too. See [how an old felony compares to a recent one](/guide/renting-with-an-old-felony-vs-a-recent-one/). Texas has its own seven year reporting rule. In most cases, a screening company can't report a conviction once the disposition, release or parole date is more than seven years old. That's Business and Commerce Code Section 20.05. A property can still find the case in public court records. If an older case shows up on a screening report, ask [legal aid](/local-resources/) about disputing it. A shortlist is a place to start, not a promise that a property will review you. Before you pay, ask the community for a full list of fees. If wrong information on a report got you turned down before, dispute that error on its own. Use the [felony screening questions](/guide/which-apartments-review-felony-convictions/) and [document checklist](/guide/what-to-have-ready-before-you-apply-with-a-felony/) as we look for options with you. Our service is free. The property sets application fees, deposits and rent. ## How We Compare to Searching on Your Own | Feature | Searching listing sites alone | Felon Friendly Apartments | |---|---|---| | **Criminal record rules** | Usually not in the listing | We check each community's written criteria against your record | | **Income and credit rules** | You read each property's notice yourself | We check income and credit rules too | | **Cost to you** | Free to search, but every application fee is yours | Our help is free. Participating communities may pay our brokerage a referral fee. The community sets its own fees | | **Who makes the decision** | The community | The community. We can't promise review or approval | | **License** | Varies | Spirit Real Estate Group, TREC license #562021 | ![Apartment buildings around a landscaped courtyard](/images/features/two-story-garden-apartment-courtyard-in-austin-wit.webp) ![A renter signing lease papers at a leasing office desk](/images/features/renter-at-leasing-office-desk-signing-lease-docume.webp) ![Apartment living room with plank floors and a ceiling fan](/images/features/vinyl-plank-floor-apartment-living-room-with-ceili.webp) ![A renter carrying moving boxes up breezeway stairs](/images/features/person-carrying-moving-boxes-up-breezeway-stairs-i.webp) ## How It Works ### Tell us the record and the metro Share the offense, how the case ended and the key dates. Add your metro, budget and move date. We don't need the story behind it. ### We check each community's criteria We check each community's written screening and income rules against your record. ### You get places to look at We send communities whose written criteria fit your record, budget and area. It's a starting point, not a promise of approval. ### You tour and apply Confirm open units, fees and lease terms with the community before you pay. The community makes the final decision. ## Why Us for This Record ### Built around criminal records Renters with criminal records are who we work with, and we check how each community's written rules treat a felony. ### Licensed brokerage We work under Spirit Real Estate Group, TREC license #562021. You can look up the license on the TREC website. ### Free to renters You don't pay us anything for the search. Participating communities may pay our brokerage a referral fee. ### Straight about hard stops If most written criteria we see rule out your situation, we tell you early. You don't pay a fee to find out. BEFORE YOU PAY ## Where Most Written Criteria Draw a Line You should hear this before you pay an application fee, not after. These come up as automatic denials in most written criteria we see: - Sex offender registration - An active warrant Violent felonies and felonies from the last 7 years are tougher too. They aren't an automatic denial, but expect fewer options. We still check each community's own rule against your record. See [what a felony hard stop looks like](/guide/what-a-felony-hard-stop-looks-like/). ### Start Your Free Apartment Search Our locating help is free. Tell us about your move, budget and record. We text you shortly after you send the form. ## Questions About This Record Type ### Will any apartment in Texas approve a felony? Some will. It comes down to the offense, how the case ended, the dates and who manages the property. Each community makes its own call. We check their written criteria against your record before you apply. ### How old does a felony need to be before it stops mattering? There's no single cutoff. Written criteria often count back 3, 5, 7 or 10 years, and some list offenses with no time limit. We check which date starts each property's clock. ### What does individual review mean? Some communities look at the whole file, like the offense, its age, your finished sentence and proof of steps you've taken. Others deny by category. Individual review is a chance, not a promise. See [what individual review means for a felony](/guide/felony-records-and-individualized-assessment/). ### Do I need my court papers? Not to start. Our form doesn't ask for them. A community may ask for your disposition later, the court record that shows how the case ended. The district clerk in the county where the case was filed keeps felony case records. ### What if I have a state jail felony? A state jail felony is the lowest felony level in Texas (Penal Code Section 12.35). It still counts as a felony in most written criteria. Some rules sort offenses by degree, so we check how each community treats yours. ## Related Record Types ### [Misdemeanor History](/misdemeanor-history/) How communities treat a misdemeanor record. ### [Deferred Adjudication](/deferred-adjudication/) When your case ended in deferred instead of a conviction. ### [Multiple Convictions](/multiple-convictions/) When you have more than one case on your record. FREE GUIDES ## Guides for This Record Type - [Conviction Age and Apartment Criteria: Compare the Dates](/guide/how-conviction-age-affects-apartment-approval/) Line up your conviction dates and see how a lookback window counts them. - [Renting With a Nonviolent Felony: How Policies Define It](/guide/renting-with-a-nonviolent-felony-in-texas/) How written rules define a nonviolent offense and who offers review. - [What Does a Felony Screening Exclusion Actually Mean?](/guide/what-a-felony-hard-stop-looks-like/) What a screening exclusion says and where it ends. - [What Individualized Review Means for a Felony Record](/guide/felony-records-and-individualized-assessment/) Who reviews a felony application and what papers can count. - [Old Felony or Recent Conviction: Compare Rental Timelines](/guide/renting-with-an-old-felony-vs-a-recent-one/) How different dates line up with a written policy. - [Misdemeanor vs. Felony: How Apartment Policies Differ](/guide/misdemeanor-vs-felony-screening-treatment/) How written rules split misdemeanors from felonies. ## Prepare before you apply [Renter tools and budget checklist](/renter-resources/) · [Local Help](/local-resources/) · [How our free service works](/how-it-works/)