Second Chance Index
Menu

Fort Worth, Texas

Second chance apartments in Fort Worth: renting with a record

Neither Texas nor Fort Worth limits what criminal history a private landlord may consider, so each landlord sets its own criteria. Fort Worth Housing Solutions publishes a screening policy with 5-year lookbacks for most drug and violent offenses and a stricter rule on sex-offense registration. 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 Fort Worth.

On this page
  1. Texas law
  2. Fort Worth rules
  3. Public housing and vouchers in Fort Worth
  4. Where to get help in Fort Worth
  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.

Fort Worth rules

Fort Worth city code

We found no city ordinance limiting criminal-history screening by private landlords in Fort Worth as of October 29, 2026. The City Code's fair housing division (chapter 17, article III, division 4, secs. 17-86 to 17-106) protects race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, familial status, sexual orientation, transgender status and gender identity or expression.8,9

We searched sections 17-86 to 17-89 and the source-of-income division (division 6) for criminal, convict and arrest, and found no screening rule about criminal records. The division was amended by Ord. 24023-01-2020. The code version we read was labeled 2026 S-20 (current). Texas law does not limit screening either, so private landlords set their own criteria.

Public housing and vouchers in Fort Worth

Offense periods

Fort Worth Housing Solutions screens every public housing and voucher applicant and household member 18 or older under its Screening and Eviction for Drug Abuse and Other Criminal Activity (SEDACA) policy, approved 09-26-2024. It denies for murder, kidnapping, rape or sexual assault, indecency with a child and arson, with no time limit stated, though a vice president may make exceptions (section 4.B).10

Section 4.C looks back 5 years from the offense date for any felony drug-related criminal activity, including an eviction from federally assisted housing for drug-related activity. Section 4.D uses 5 years for manslaughter, robbery, an illegal weapon, assault, aggravated assault, stalking and physical violence. Section 4.E uses a 5-year pattern for theft or fraud, burglary or auto theft, prostitution and threatened abuse toward staff. Sections 4.A and 4.D say a conviction is not required: the authority may rely on other evidence, such as police or eyewitness testimony or an admission, that shows the conduct by a preponderance of the evidence. The authority shreds criminal history reports once a final decision is made (section 7).

Registration and rehabilitation

SEDACA section 4.A requires denial for meth made on federally assisted premises, current abuse of alcohol or use of illegal drugs, and any household member "currently subject to any registration requirement" under a state sex-offense program. That is broader than the federal lifetime-registration rule described in the national guide.10,11

The authority's public housing policy (ACOP, chapter 2, pages 2-8 and 2-13) is consistent with this: it permanently denies anyone subject to lifetime registration, and says a person subject to registration for less than life is not eligible until the registration period ends. Section 4.F lists evidence of rehabilitation: 12 months with no further involvement, drug test results, stable rental or financial history and a probation or parole officer's certification. Section 5.0 lets a family member leaving incarceration rejoin a family under conditions, including a written referral from probation or parole, active case management and no increase in bedroom size.

Records checked

The voucher administrative plan (section 5.6, printed page 32) says the authority checks state and local police records for everyone 18 or older, and does not routinely check out-of-state or FBI records, though section 3.2.F says it may check where you lived before or use the FBI's National Crime Information Center, and reserves the right to do so for anyone. The public housing ACOP (chapter 2, pages 2-8 to 2-13) lists checks of City of Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas, NCIC and other states' records, through a third-party service.11,12

The ACOP says it checks convictions, pending charges and sex-offense registration. Its standard for a violation is 5 years from an eviction for drug-related activity and 5 years from the offense date for drug-related and other criminal activity. It sets a permanent public housing ban for meth manufacture on federally assisted premises. The voucher plan is dated March 19, 2024 and shows a 10/08/2025 annual review with no material changes (section 17.0).

Informal review

For vouchers, ask in writing for an informal review within 10 days of the denial letter or notice (administrative plan section 11.2, printed pages 65 to 66). For public housing, ask in writing for an informal hearing within 14 working days of the ineligibility notice, and the hearing is held within 30 working days of your request (ACOP chapter 13, page 13-2).11,12

In a voucher review, staff other than the decision-maker handle the case, you may present written and oral objections, and the authority gives a written final statement. The voucher plan (section 11.1.B) also treats failing the SEDACA screening as a reason to withdraw an application.

Where to get help in Fort Worth

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.15,16,17,18

HUD's housing counseling search lists HUD-approved agencies. When we searched HUD's agency data for agencies within 20 miles of downtown Fort Worth on October 29, 2026, it returned 5, of which 2 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.19

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. Fort Worth City Code, chapter 17, article III, division 4: Fair HousingCity of Fort Worth (American Legal Publishing)
  9. Fort Worth City Code sec. 17-88City of Fort Worth (American Legal Publishing)
  10. Screening and Eviction for Drug Abuse and Other Criminal Activity (SEDACA) Policy, approved 09-26-2024Fort Worth Housing Solutions
  11. Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policy (revised March 2024)Fort Worth Housing Solutions
  12. Housing Choice Voucher Administrative Plan with Addendums (dated March 19, 2024)Fort Worth Housing Solutions
  13. Legal Aid (Legal Aid Resources: Can't Afford a Lawyer?)Texas Judicial Branch
  14. How to ApplyLegal Aid of NorthWest Texas
  15. About 2-1-1 Texas and our Organization2-1-1 Texas (Texas Health and Human Services Commission)
  16. Housing Counseling Services searchU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
  17. HUD Housing Counselor agency search by location (20-mile radius, queried October 29, 2026)U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
  18. HUD Housing Counselor services listU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
  19. Real Estate & Rental ScamsOffice of the Attorney General of Texas

Where to go next

All guides