A clean credit report won’t get you past a blanket criminal denial. What matters is whether it was a felony or a misdemeanor, the type of charge, and how long ago it was. Between us, we have more than 20 years in real estate, working with property managers in Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and Fort Worth. We track which communities look at each record individually and which ones deny every record.
What Decides Your Approval Chances
How serious the charge is: misdemeanors like an old DWI, marijuana possession, or theft under $2,500 get past screening far more often than felonies.
Which charges get approved:
- Drug possession, misdemeanor theft, fraud, DWI: approved more often than other charges
- Felony theft: harder to get approved, usually needs 7+ years. Violent felonies like aggravated assault and robbery: usually denied, and only a few communities look again after 10+ years
- Sex offenses, arson: denied almost everywhere
How long ago it was: most communities we work with want five to seven years since you finished your sentence (including probation or parole). Some count from the conviction date instead. Older records get easier every year. From what we see, garden style and mid rise communities in Arlington, Plano, and Katy bend more on timing than downtown high rises.
Deferred adjudication in Texas: not a formal conviction, but it can still show on LeasingDesk or SmartMove reports. Read our guide to deferred adjudication screening for the specifics.
How Fair Housing Rules Affect Renters With Records
In 2016, HUD said blanket criminal denials may break the Fair Housing Act since they hit protected groups harder (called disparate impact). HUD withdrew that guidance in 2025, but the Fair Housing Act itself still applies. Some Texas property managers switched to individual review, where they look at the details of your record instead of denying any conviction on sight. Many haven’t. In Austin, the city's own criminal history rules only cover affordable properties it helped fund. In Fort Worth and San Antonio, it varies a lot from one management company to the next.
That split between individual review and blanket denial decides your odds, and we track it community by community. Read more in our guide to the 2016 HUD criminal background guidance.
Matching by Charge Type for Texas Renters
We track which Texas communities accept which charges, metro by metro. Then we help you pull together the paperwork that counts at an individual review:
- Letters showing you finished your sentence from the court or probation office
- Probation discharge records
- Character references from employers, clergy, or landlords you rented from for years
- Proof of rehabilitation (programs you finished, a steady job, ties to your community)
Stacked problems, like a criminal record plus an eviction plus bad credit, are harder. We look for Texas communities that may consider more than one problem. They usually want verified income of 3x to 4x the rent and charge a higher risk fee than they ask for credit alone. See our eviction apartment locating and bad credit apartment locating pages for help with those.
How We Compare
| Feature | Typical Apartment Search | No Credit Check Apartments |
|---|---|---|
| Matching by charge type | Generic listings, no screening detail | Picked by your type of charge and how long ago it was |
| Cost to renter | $50 to $75 per application (often denied) | 100% free. Communities pay us |
| Turnaround | Days of research on your own | Same-day reply, list in 24 to 48 weekday hours |
| Licensing | Listing sites, not licensed locators | Brokered by Spirit Real Estate Group, LLC (TREC #562021) |
| Stacked problems | Usually rejected outright | Matching for criminal + eviction + bad credit together |
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- Charge type and how the case ended (misdemeanor/felony, deferred adjudication, dismissed)
- The date you finished your sentence, plus the conviction date
- Any documentation you have
Send us those and we’ll write back with Texas communities to look at. It's 100% free to you, and apartment communities pay the referral fee.
