GUIDES
Texas Renter Guides for a Criminal Background
Browse 65 guides on apartment screening, getting your application ready, record questions and reentry housing. Read them before you talk with a leasing office, a lawyer or legal aid. Each community makes its own approval decision, and we check its written criteria for you.
All 65 renter guides
Each card has a short summary, so you can find the right guide fast. We check each community’s criteria against your record for you. Questions about your own case go to a lawyer or legal aid.
Screening reports and your rights
See how screening reports work, what to do about errors and notices, and what rights you have.
Related: Apartments for dismissed charges · Apartments with a nondisclosure order
Arrest vs. Conviction: Reading a Tenant Screening Report
Tell an arrest, charge and conviction apart on a screening report. Check the outcome and dates before you decide if something needs fixing.
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Automatic Denial or Individual Apartment Review?
See who reviews an application, which criteria apply and what documents can count. When a property says it reviews case by case, we check how that works.
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Apartment Lookback Periods: Which Date Actually Counts?
See how a property's screening window differs from the legal limits on reporting. We check which event starts each property's clock before you count on an old record.
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Will a DWI Appear on an Apartment Background Check?
See how a DWI shows up on a tenant report and check that the outcome is right. A court order may change what the report can show.
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Criminal Records and Fair Housing: Texas Renter Guide 2026
Sort out current law, withdrawn HUD guidance and proposed rules. See what to write down if you think a housing denial over your record was discriminatory.
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How Texas Apartment Background Checks Fit Together
See how criminal history, credit and rental records come into an apartment review. Learn which company ran the report and how it differs from property rules.
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Dispute an Apartment Background Error: A Practical Checklist
Pin down the exact screening error, gather your records and send a clear dispute to the reporting company. Keep a log and follow up on the answer.
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Apartment Adverse Action Notices: What to Do Next
A screening report can lead to a denial or worse terms. Find the reporting company, ask for your file and keep the notice in case you dispute it.
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What Does a Felony Screening Exclusion Actually Mean?
A hard stop is one property rule, not a rule at every apartment. See how a written rule differs from a guess, and what to do after a no.
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Violent Offense Screening Exclusions: Check the Exact Rule
We check how each apartment defines a violent offense exclusion. A pending case isn't a conviction, and one property's rule doesn't cover the whole state.
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Find the Company Behind Your Apartment Screening Report
Find the screening company named in your paperwork and how to reach its consumer help line. Keep report fixes separate from the rental decision.
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An Expunged Case Still on a Tenant Report? Check These Steps
Match the reported case to your expunction order, gather your papers and contact the screening company. An old copy of the record is a common cause.
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Why a Completed Deferred Case Can Still Appear on Screening
Finishing deferred supervision isn't the same as sealing a record. Compare public court records with what a screening report is allowed to include.
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Why Dismissed Charges May Still Appear on Background Checks
A dismissal doesn't erase a case on its own. Check the reported outcome and the legal limits before you dispute a tenant screening entry.
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Denied Housing Over a Record? Separate Your Next Steps
Figure out if you're dealing with a report error, the property's own policy or possible discrimination. Then find the right place to go for each one.
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Your record situation
Read up on offense types, case outcomes and clearing a record.
Felony convictions
Related: Apartments for felony convictions
What Individualized Review Means for a Felony Record
See who reviews a felony application and what supporting information may count. We check each property's review process. Individual review is not a promise of approval.
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Conviction Age and Apartment Criteria: Compare the Dates
Write down the key dates for your conviction. We compare them with each property’s lookback period, the date it counts from and any exceptions.
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Renting With a Nonviolent Felony: How Policies Define It
We check how an apartment defines a nonviolent offense and if it offers review. Get your case facts ready. Rent and building class won't show the policy.
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Old Felony or Recent Conviction: Compare Rental Timelines
Walk through an example of how different dates line up with a property's written policy. An older conviction doesn't mean every property will approve.
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Will an Apartment Review a Felony? How We Check
We check each community's felony criteria, the papers it wants for a review and when fees are due. Building type won't tell you if a property reviews records.
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Misdemeanor history
Related: Apartments for a misdemeanor history
Class A, B and C Misdemeanors in Apartment Screening
Read the misdemeanor class on your court papers, and we check how each property treats it. Don't mix up offense classes with apartment building classes.
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Misdemeanor vs. Felony: How Apartment Policies Differ
We compare your case outcome with each community's written criteria for felony and misdemeanor screening. Neither label tells you your odds of approval.
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An Old Misdemeanor and a New Texas Apartment Search
Look at the offense, outcome and dates before you assume an old misdemeanor will be ignored. We check each community’s current requirements for you.
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When Does an Old Misdemeanor Stop Affecting a Rental?
No single date makes every misdemeanor stop mattering to every landlord. We check each property's cutoff, what starts the clock and any exceptions.
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Checking an Apartment’s Misdemeanor Screening Rules
See which misdemeanor outcomes and dates a community looks at and what we ask about before you pay. Luxury features and building age won't tell you.
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Deferred adjudication
Related: Apartments for deferred adjudication
Deferred Adjudication vs. Conviction: What Renters Need
Compare active deferred supervision, a completed case and a conviction. Get the court's actual outcome instead of going by a short label on an application.
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Need to Move During Active Deferred Adjudication?
Plan a rental search with deferred supervision still active. Ask about rules on where you can live, note where your case stands and let us check criteria.
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Sealing a Deferred Case: Nondisclosure and Rental Reports
Finishing deferred adjudication and getting a nondisclosure order are two different steps. Check your court outcome and ask legal aid which option fits.
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Drug offenses
Related: Apartments for drug offenses
Possession vs. Distribution: How Rental Criteria Differ
Know the actual drug case and outcome. We check each property's definitions against your record, and one label doesn't decide approval.
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Renting After a Drug Conviction: A Texas Search Plan
Get your court outcome ready and let us check each property's criteria. Private apartments and assisted housing use different rules after a drug conviction.
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Apartments That Consider Drug Convictions: What We Check
How a property looks at a drug conviction depends on the offense, outcome, dates and review process. See what we check at each apartment before you apply.
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DUI and DWI
Related: Apartments for a DUI or DWI
Misdemeanor or Felony DWI: Questions Before Renting
Find the actual DWI offense and outcome, and we compare them with each community's criteria. The misdemeanor or felony label alone doesn't predict a rental decision.
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Texas DWI Nondisclosure: Prepare for an Eligibility Review
See which DWI court papers to bring to legal aid. Texas nondisclosure options depend on the sentence, your case history and what the law requires.
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A Texas Apartment Search After a DWI: Where to Begin
Start with how your DWI case ended and what you need in a home. We check each property's screening criteria. Ask legal help about sealing the record.
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Theft and fraud
Related: Apartments for theft or fraud records
Property Crime Records and Individual Apartment Review
We check how a community treats a property crime record and if it offers a second look. An open unit doesn't tell you the policy.
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After a Theft Conviction: Prepare Your Texas Rental Search
Separate a theft conviction from credit or rental history issues and get the court outcome. We check the property’s rules before you pick where to apply.
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Theft and Fraud Records: Questions for Apartment Review
Theft or fraud screening turns on the actual case outcome and the community's rules. We check those for you. Get useful papers ready without guessing.
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Assault and violent offenses
Related: Apartments for assault or violent offenses
An Older Violent Offense Record: Screening Questions
We check which date and offense definition a property uses for a violent record. The record's age is one part of the review, not automatic approval.
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Renting With a Violent Offense Record: What We Check
We check if individual review is offered, who handles it and what a property needs. We don't claim any property will accept you.
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Domestic violence records
Related: Apartments and domestic violence records
Weapons offenses
Related: Apartments for weapons offenses
Multiple convictions
Related: Apartments with multiple convictions
Multiple Convictions: Organize Your Apartment Review
List each case on its own line and check every outcome. We look at how each property reviews several records, so don't guess from the number of charges alone.
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Apartment Review With More Than One Conviction
We check how a community looks at several cases, different outcomes and your supporting records. The count of offenses alone doesn't decide it.
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Expunction and nondisclosure
Related: Apartments for expunged records
Texas Expunction Under Chapter 55A: A Renter’s Starting Point
What asking for an expunction involves, how it differs from nondisclosure and which records to gather before you ask a Texas lawyer or legal aid.
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After Nondisclosure: Checking Your Apartment Screening
Compare a tenant report with your Texas nondisclosure order. Check which case it covers, keep your papers together and find out who handles disputes.
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Find Texas Legal Help for Expunction or Nondisclosure
Pick the legal aid office for your county and issue, have case numbers ready and mention any deadline. Applying doesn't mean they've taken your case.
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Texas Nondisclosure Orders: What Chapter 411 Covers
See what a Texas nondisclosure order does and doesn't do. Learn what to gather to see if you qualify, and how sealing differs from expunction.
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Pending charges
Related: Apartments with pending charges
Application preparation
Get your papers in order, see what we check in each property's criteria and skip fees you don't need to pay.
Related: How our free search works · Renter checklists and budget tools
Why Apartment Locating Is Free to Renters | Our Fees
Our search is free to renters. See how participating communities may pay our brokerage a referral fee, which charges the property sets and what to ask.
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Check Your Records Before an Apartment Application
Find the right court office, ask screening companies for your files and compare case outcomes. No check you run yourself matches every tenant report.
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Describing Deferred Adjudication on a Rental Application
Read the application’s exact question, answer with the court’s actual outcome and don't share more than it asks. Unsure about a sealed case? Ask legal aid.
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How to Spot Apartment Scams When You Have a Record
Fake listings, fake locators and paid approval pitches target renters with records. Learn how to check a listing or a Texas locator, and what to do if you paid.
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Texas Rental Selection Criteria: Know Before You Pay
See when a Texas landlord has to give you its screening criteria and what the notice covers. If you were rejected without it, you may be owed your fee back.
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Felony Apartment Application: Documents to Gather
Get the case outcome, proof of income and rental references a property asks for. This checklist helps you get organized. It doesn't promise approval.
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Deferred Adjudication: Your Rental Document Checklist
Get your papers ready whether your deferred case is active or finished. We check each community's rules. Don't send court records when you first reach out.
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Prepare a Misdemeanor Rental Application Without Guessing
Gather your case outcome and income papers. We check the documents and income rules each property uses, so you send a focused file, not every record.
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Reentry and supervised housing
Plan around your release date, supervision rules and getting your address approved.
Related: Reentry housing · Apartments on parole · Apartments on probation
Income Documents for Your First Apartment After Reentry
Gather pay records, offer letters or benefit statements, and we check what each property accepts. Housing assistance and employment income can follow different rules.
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An Apartment Lease and Parole Address Approval Are Separate
Signing your own lease and getting a parole address approved are separate steps. Ask your officer about the address before you sign or pay anything.
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Facing a Parole Housing Deadline? Plan the Next Calls
Write down your deadline, the address you want approved and your officer's contact. Line up temporary housing too, since review times aren't guaranteed.
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Leaving TDCJ: Prepare for an Independent Apartment
Get ready for an apartment after TDCJ: line up your ID, income, costs and supervision approval. Keep a separate plan for temporary housing.
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Moving on Probation in Texas: Address Permission Steps
Ask your probation officer how to get a new address approved and what papers you need. Plan this before you pay, sign or move.
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Probation or Parole: Who Must Review Your Apartment Move?
Compare local probation supervision with the TDCJ parole process. Find the right person to ask and keep supervision approval separate from the lease decision.
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Renting on Probation: Your Texas Apartment Search Plan
Line up property screening, supervision permission and move-in costs on probation. Ask your officer about moving first, then we check each property's criteria.
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Before Parole Address Review: Questions and Documents
Get address and household details ready for parole review. Ask your officer what's needed before you sign a lease or count on an approval date.
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TDCJ Housing Referrals and an Independent Apartment Search
See how a reentry housing referral differs from a private lease. Ask about intake, supervision approval and help with your next move.
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