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Dallas, Texas

Second chance apartments in Dallas: renting with a record

Neither Texas nor Dallas limits what criminal history a private landlord may consider, so each landlord sets its own criteria. DHA Housing Solutions for North Texas publishes a lookback table by offense, felony and misdemeanor, in its voucher and public housing policies. Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, 2-1-1 and HUD housing counselors are good places to start.

Checked October 29, 2026. General information, not legal advice. We don't list or recommend landlords; these are the rules and the official help in Dallas.

On this page
  1. Texas law
  2. Dallas rules
  3. Public housing and vouchers in Dallas
  4. Where to get help in Dallas
  5. Avoiding rental scams in Texas
  6. Where to go next

Texas law

Texas (statewide)

Texas has no state law that limits what criminal history a private landlord may consider. The Texas Fair Housing Act (Property Code chapter 301) bars refusing to rent because of race, color, religion, sex, familial status or national origin, and a criminal record is not on that list.1

Section 301.021(c) adds that the section does not prohibit discrimination against a person because of a conviction, under federal law or any state's law, for the illegal manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance. Other sections of the chapter cover disability. Having a record is not a protected class under federal fair housing law either, so the national guide's points still apply. Because state law leaves these choices to each landlord, ask for the written criteria before you pay a fee.

Screening criteria and fees

A Texas landlord must make a printed notice of its tenant selection criteria available when it gives you a rental application. The notice must give the grounds on which an application may be denied, such as criminal history, rental history, current income or credit history, and the applicant signs an acknowledgment that the notice was made available.2

If a landlord rejects you without having made that notice available, it must return your application fee and any application deposit (Property Code sec. 92.3515(e)). You are treated as rejected if the landlord has not accepted you within 7 days after you submit a completed application (sec. 92.352(a)). A landlord that in bad faith fails to refund a fee or deposit it owes can be liable for $100, three times the amount kept and your attorney's fees (sec. 92.354). We found no dollar cap on application fees in sections 92.351 to 92.355.

Renting to someone with a record

Texas law says a landlord cannot be sued solely for renting to a tenant who has been convicted of, arrested for or placed on deferred adjudication for an offense. A negligence claim is still possible if the tenant was convicted of an offense listed in Code of Criminal Procedure article 42A.054 or has a reportable conviction or adjudication under chapter 62, and the landlord knew or should have known.2

Section 92.025 took effect January 1, 2016 and does not create or expand any cause of action. It speaks to a landlord's risk of being sued, not to whether a landlord must rent to you, so a landlord may still decline an application.

Sealed and expunged records

If a Texas court issues an order of nondisclosure for your record, the court may not disclose the sealed court-record information to the public. Government Code secs. 411.076 and 411.0765 allow disclosure only to criminal justice agencies, the person named in the order, a set list of licensing, education, health, financial and other agencies, and where federal law requires it; private landlords are not on that list. A private company that sells criminal history information must destroy it and may not pass it on once it has notice of an expunction or nondisclosure order, and it can owe damages if it does (sec. 411.0851).3

A person with a nondisclosure order does not have to state the proceeding on an application for employment, information or licensing (Government Code sec. 411.0755). Not everyone qualifies: sec. 411.074 excludes some people from getting an order for certain offenses, including registrable sex offenses, certain violent offenses and family violence. If a tenant screening report still shows a sealed or expunged record, the national guide explains how to dispute it.

Eviction records

Texas has no process to remove or seal an eviction from your record, according to the Texas State Law Library. The library says the main exceptions are certain Rule 76a circumstances and cases dismissed under the former Eviction Diversion program, which no longer exists.4,5,6,7

The library also says eviction court records are presumed open and that negative information can stay on a credit report for up to 7 years (its page was last updated January 19, 2024). Three 2025 bills on keeping eviction case information confidential, HB 1369, HB 2223 and SB 948, were referred to committee in the regular session, and the Legislature's bill histories show no later action as of October 29, 2026, so none of them became law.

Dallas rules

Dallas city code

We found no city ordinance limiting criminal-history screening by private landlords in Dallas as of October 29, 2026. Dallas City Code chapter 20A (Fair Housing) protects race, color, sex (defined to include sexual orientation and gender identity), religion, handicap (disability), familial status, national origin and source of income, and a criminal record is not on that list.8,9,10,11

We searched the City's PDF copy of chapter 20A for convict, criminal history and arrest. The only rule about convictions is a carve-out: section 20A-5 says nothing in the chapter prohibits action against a person because of a conviction for illegal manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance. The chapter's source-of-income protection does not cover federal housing vouchers except where state law allows (Local Government Code sec. 250.007 bars cities from requiring landlords to accept them). The City's PDF may lag the American Legal code, which is current through Ord. 33447 (July 2026 supplement S-33). The Fair Housing Division takes discrimination complaints at 214-670-FAIR (3247) or Fairhousing@dallas.gov. Texas law does not limit screening either, so private landlords set their own criteria.

Public housing and vouchers in Dallas

Voucher lookbacks

DHA Housing Solutions for North Texas (the Dallas Housing Authority) checks criminal history for every household member 18 or older and uses a table of lookback periods, listed separately for felonies and misdemeanors. Examples from the voucher plan: drug possession other than marijuana, 7 years for either; domestic crimes, 7 and 7; burglary I, 5 and 5; theft, 7 and 3; fraud, 5 and 0; trespassing, 3 and 1; DWI, 5 and 5.12

Section IV.B (printed pages 20 to 24) lists sex crimes against a person or child, drug distribution or manufacture other than marijuana or meth, and meth production with no time limit. Homicide ranges from 7 to 10 years or any time depending on degree. The plan says the list may not contain all criminal offenses. It also screens for illegal drug use in the past five to seven years, which may be waived if you show you no longer use. It also looks at incarceration, parole or probation for drug, violent or threatening crimes in the past 5 years. The 253-page plan shows no adoption date in its text; its file is labeled final 2025-09-16, and some sections are marked effective 7/1/2025.

Evictions, rehabilitation and waivers

The Dallas voucher plan denies applicants evicted from federally assisted housing for drug-related or violent criminal activity within 4 years, and it treats lifetime sex-offense registration and meth production as permanent denials. For VASH applicants and vulnerable homeless applicants referred by the Continuum of Care or the VA, it applies only the two federal exclusions.12

The plan says the authority may waive screening for special-needs programs, including for formerly incarcerated homeless people. It says rehabilitation is considered, and documentation of compliance with probation or parole can count as a mitigating circumstance (page 24). Before a denial based on a record, the authority must send you a copy of the record and let you dispute it, citing 24 CFR 5.903(f) and 982.553(d).

Public housing policy

The authority's public housing policy (ACOP), effective and adopted September 16, 2025, uses the same criminal history lookback table as the voucher plan. We compared every row and they matched.13

The table is in section II.I.4 (printed pages 21 to 26). The ACOP charges no application fee (section II.I.2.a). The ACOP contradicts itself on drug evictions: section II.I.3.c bars applicants evicted from federally assisted housing "within the previous 4 years, except that the period shall be 10 years for a drug related eviction," while section II.I.4(i) says 4 years for an eviction for drug-related or violent criminal activity. If you have a drug-related eviction from 4 to 10 years ago, ask the authority in writing which period it will apply.

Informal review

For the public housing program, send a written request for an informal review within 14 calendar days of the date the notice is postmarked or sent electronically (ACOP section II.J.3). The voucher plan (section V.G) says the notice must state the reasons for the decision, your right to review and how to request it.12,13

The voucher plan describes the informal review as a file review, not a hearing. The voucher plan contradicts itself on the deadline: section IV.B and the opening of section V.G.1 say 14 days, while section V.G.1.b says the written request must be made within 10 calendar days of the written denial and that a late request means the denial stands. To be safe, send your request within 10 calendar days. The review is scheduled within 30 calendar days of your request, someone other than the decision-maker conducts it, and you are told the outcome within 14 calendar days.

Where to get help in Dallas

2-1-1 and housing counseling

Dial 2-1-1 or (877) 541-7905 to reach 2-1-1 Texas, a program of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. It is free, anonymous and open 24 hours a day, every day, and calls go to one of 25 regional information centers.16,17,18,19

HUD's housing counseling search lists HUD-approved agencies. When we searched HUD's agency data for agencies within 20 miles of downtown Dallas on October 29, 2026, it returned 11, of which 4 listed rental housing counseling. HUD's list changes over time, so your own search may show a different number. HUD does not define the status codes in that data, and some listed agencies may not be active, so confirm services by phone. The national guide has HUD's counseling number, 800-569-4287.

Avoiding rental scams in Texas

Texas Attorney General

The Texas Attorney General warns that scammers post fake rental listings to collect advance deposits, then make excuses when you ask to see the property. Be especially cautious if an owner asks for a deposit before you have seen the property in person.20

The office says some scams involve a tenant posing as the owner, so try to verify that the person is the real owner or an authorized sublessor. It lists odd payment requests, such as wire transfers through Western Union or payment outside the listing website, as warning signs. If you run into one of these scams you can file a consumer complaint online with the Attorney General's office. The national guide has the FTC's list of warning signs.

Sources

Each source was opened and checked on October 29, 2026.

  1. Texas Property Code chapter 301: Texas Fair Housing Act (sec. 301.021)Texas Legislature (Texas Constitution and Statutes)
  2. Texas Property Code chapter 92: Residential Tenancies (secs. 92.351 to 92.355)Texas Legislature (Texas Constitution and Statutes)
  3. Texas Government Code chapter 411 (secs. 411.074, 411.0755, 411.076, 411.0765 and 411.0851)Texas Legislature (Texas Constitution and Statutes)
  4. Can I remove an eviction from my record?Texas State Law Library
  5. 89(R) History for HB 1369 (confidentiality of residential eviction case information)Texas Legislature Online
  6. 89(R) History for HB 2223 (confidentiality of eviction case information)Texas Legislature Online
  7. 89(R) History for SB 948 (confidentiality of residential eviction case information)Texas Legislature Online
  8. City of Dallas Fair Housing OrdinanceCity of Dallas
  9. Dallas City Code chapter 20A: Fair Housing and Mixed Income Housing (City PDF)City of Dallas
  10. Dallas City Code overviewCity of Dallas (American Legal Publishing)
  11. Texas Local Government Code sec. 250.007: Regulation of rental or leasing of housing accommodationsTexas Legislature (Texas Constitution and Statutes)
  12. Administrative Plan for the DHA Housing Choice Voucher Programs (file labeled final 2025-09-16)DHA Housing Solutions for North Texas
  13. Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policy for the DHA Public Housing Program and DHA-Owned Properties (effective September 16, 2025)DHA Housing Solutions for North Texas
  14. Legal Aid (Legal Aid Resources: Can't Afford a Lawyer?)Texas Judicial Branch
  15. How to ApplyLegal Aid of NorthWest Texas
  16. About 2-1-1 Texas and our Organization2-1-1 Texas (Texas Health and Human Services Commission)
  17. Housing Counseling Services searchU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
  18. HUD Housing Counselor agency search by location (20-mile radius, queried October 29, 2026)U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
  19. HUD Housing Counselor services listU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
  20. Real Estate & Rental ScamsOffice of the Attorney General of Texas

Where to go next

All guides