Find Texas Apartments That Accept Felons

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.
• 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.
• 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.

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 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 and document checklist 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