Guide

Second Chance Apartments in Dallas-Fort Worth: Areas That Read Each File

Oak Cliff, Las Colinas and Carrollton lead our list. These are the parts of DFW where many properties still read each eviction file on its own.

By Eviction Friendly Apartment Team Licensed Texas Real Estate Agents Images are illustrations

In this guide

No Texas metro has more apartments than DFW, but that size can fool you. A few large property management companies (PMCs) run a lot of those apartments, and from what we see, they often share screening results across their own properties. So we look for second chance apartments in the parts of Dallas-Fort Worth where most of the independent operators are. Mid market properties there often make their own call.

Oak Cliff (75208, 75211, 75216)

Oak Cliff takes in Bishop Arts, Winnetka Heights, North Cliff, and the rest of southwest Dallas below the Trinity. From what we see, it has more independent owners than any other part of Dallas. Each property sets its own policy, and many owners do their own screening or use a system they can adjust.

Best for: recent and unpaid evictions; dismissed cases with proof; multiple evictions with strong income.

Who runs the properties: from what we’ve seen, mostly independent owners, with few big management companies. This is where we start looking after a PMC turns you down at every one of its properties.

Las Colinas / Irving (75039, 75038, 75063)

Las Colinas mixes corporate luxury with independent operators, often on the same street. We’ve found several independently run properties around MacArthur Boulevard and Story Road in Irving that have often approved older evictions.

Best for: evictions at least 2 years old, paid or dismissed; some open balance cases with a guarantor.

Carrollton / Farmers Branch (75006, 75007, 75234)

Carrollton has a lot of mid market apartments, and at many of them the office on site makes the call, not a corporate screening desk. From what we’ve seen, Willow Bridge and RPM Living both have several flexible properties there.

Best for: paid balance cases and dismissed evictions; individual review for files with strong income.

Grand Prairie (75050, 75052)

Grand Prairie sits between Dallas and Arlington, and it has lots of garden style properties. In our placements, many of them read each file on its own.

Best for: open balance cases; multiple evictions with a guarantor.

Garland / Mesquite (75040, 75043, 75150)

Garland and Mesquite, just northeast and east of Dallas, have older buildings with a lot of independent owners. That means less screening data gets passed from one property to the next.

Best for: recent or open balance cases, at private owners willing to work with second chance files.

Plano / Frisco (the tough tier)

Plano and Frisco are mostly Class A luxury with strict screening. Recent eviction? We rarely get anyone placed here.

Only worth it for: evictions at least 5 years old, paid or dismissed, with income of 4x the rent. Even then, you’ll often need a guarantor.

Fort Worth areas to try

If you’ve run through Dallas proper:

Haltom City: lots of Class B and mid market properties
North Richland Hills: many properties make their own call
Benbrook / Southwest Fort Worth: flexible garden style properties

Arlington areas to try

South Arlington: lots of independent owners
UTA area: near campus, flexible on income
Mansfield: mid market properties just south of Arlington

Details are in our Arlington guide.

Areas you’ll usually want to skip

Uptown Dallas: mostly Class A luxury, often with strict automated SafeRent screening

Downtown Dallas: Class A luxury, strict screening

Legacy West / Frisco Station: newest Class A. Screening here is some of the strictest we see in DFW

Preston Hollow: mostly luxury

West Village: Class A luxury

Why the big management companies matter so much in DFW

These PMCs run a lot of DFW apartments:

Greystar (all tiers)
MAA (mid market and Class A)
Cortland (Class A)
Camden (mostly Class A)
RPM Living (all tiers)

We’ve seen each of them share screening results across its properties. Independent owners aren’t part of those networks. That’s why we focus on the parts of DFW where they’re common.

Common DFW mistakes

Applying at 5 Greystar or MAA properties across DFW after one of them already denied you
Going after Plano or Frisco Class A with a recent eviction
Ignoring Oak Cliff for “brand name” North Dallas
Skipping the properties next door in Fort Worth or Arlington

How we help in Dallas

We start with your past DFW denials, so we can see which PMCs to skip. After that, we point you to independent owners in Oak Cliff, Las Colinas, Carrollton, and the areas around them, using our notes on which properties take which situations. The property still makes the final call. You won’t pay us for any of it.

Fill out the form on our home page or see our DFW guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where are second chance apartments in DFW?

Oak Cliff, Las Colinas, and Carrollton top our list, followed by Grand Prairie, Garland, and Mesquite. The toughest is Class A luxury in Plano and Frisco.

Why is Oak Cliff more flexible than North Dallas?

Oak Cliff has a lot of independently owned properties where someone often reads your full file. North Dallas leans toward Class A buildings, and from what we see, those tend to use automated SafeRent screening.

Do these neighborhoods work if I still owe on my eviction?

Often, yes. Oak Cliff, Grand Prairie, and older buildings in Garland all have private owners willing to look at an open balance case.