Guide
What Was the Texas Eviction Diversion Program (TEDP)?
TEDP (October 2020 to June 2023) paused eviction cases, paid back rent, and kept those court records confidential. Here’s why a repeat now needs the Legislature.
In this guide
The Texas Eviction Diversion Program (TEDP) was a COVID era program that ran from October 2020 to June 30, 2023. It was the only time Texas courts kept eviction records confidential on a wide scale. Renters still ask us about it all the time. Once you know what it was, and why it’s so hard to bring back, you can spend your energy on options that actually exist.
What TEDP did
The Supreme Court of Texas created TEDP by emergency order. The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) ran the rental assistance side. First came a pilot paid for with federal CARES Act money, then U.S. Treasury Emergency Rental Assistance (ERAP) through Texas Rent Relief. The program:
- Paid past due rent directly to landlords for tenants who qualified
- Put eviction cases that qualified on hold in justice of the peace (JP) court so the rent could get paid
- Kept the court records confidential during the pause, and for good if the case was dismissed through the program
- Made courts give tenants in eviction cases information about the program
The program closed on June 30, 2023. TDHCA and the Texas Supreme Court (opens in new tab) say more than 25,000 renter households got over $243 million in help.
Why TEDP mattered
For almost three years, Texas renters facing eviction had a real path to keep their housing and avoid a public eviction record. A confidential case shouldn’t show up on a screening report. That was about as close to a reset as Texas has offered.
Nothing else in Texas works that way. There’s no law for expunging an eviction, and judges seal court records only in rare cases. TEDP was the exception.
Why TEDP is over
Federal funds ran out. ERAP was a limited pot of COVID era federal money, paid out in two rounds. TEDP ran on that temporary money. The last round had to be used by September 30, 2025, and there’s no federal replacement.
No state money replaced it. Texas didn’t step in with its own funding when the federal dollars stopped.
SB 38 makes a repeat harder. Since January 1, 2026, the law says only the Legislature can change or suspend the eviction rules. The Texas Supreme Court can still issue a general disaster order that reaches evictions, but only if it applies to all affected courts, not just eviction cases. So a court program just for eviction cases, like TEDP, would now need a new law from the Legislature.
If your case went through TEDP
If your case was dismissed through TEDP but your eviction still shows up on screening reports, here’s what we’d do:
- Ask TDHCA (opens in new tab) to confirm you completed TEDP
- Check the JP court where your case was heard. The case should be marked confidential there
- If the court didn’t keep it confidential, contact the JP court clerk about the mismatch
- Dispute the report with each screening company under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and attach your TEDP completion paperwork
Our dispute guide walks through the process. If the court record itself is wrong, legal aid can help.
Where to turn instead
Rental assistance (limited): some Texas cities and counties may still have small emergency rental assistance funds, often through local nonprofits. That money tends to run out fast. Call 2-1-1 or search “[your county] emergency rental assistance” for current options.
Legal aid for eviction defense: if you qualify, you can get free help fighting an eviction. Call Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (956-996-8752) or Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (888-529-5277). Lone Star Legal Aid (opens in new tab) (800-733-8394) and local legal aid clinics help too. TexasLawHelp.org can point you to the one that serves your county.
BASTA (Austin): a tenant rights group. It may have programs just for Austin renters.
Talking to your landlord directly: some landlords will take a payment plan or a partial payment, or let you out of the lease, instead of filing an eviction. We’ve found that’s often better for both sides than a court case.
None of these seal records. They’re still worth a shot if you’re facing eviction now.
If you already have a filing on record
Maybe your eviction was filed outside the TEDP window and was never kept confidential through the program. If so, here’s the path we suggest to our clients:
- Know what’s on your record (see our check history guide)
- Pay the balance if you can (see our pay off guide)
- Apply only where your kind of case is likely to get approved (see our services for each situation)
- Wait out the seven year FCRA window (see our record duration guide)
Will TEDP or something similar ever return?
Unlikely under current law. It would take one of these:
- The Texas Legislature passing a law that sets up a program like it
- A Texas Supreme Court disaster order that covers all affected courts, not just eviction cases
- A big new source of rental assistance money
Texas has no regular legislative session in 2026, and the next one starts in January 2027. We wouldn’t wait on a program that isn’t coming. Go after the options that exist now.
Where this leaves you
TEDP was real, and it worked for a lot of renters. But it’s over for good, so don’t let anyone selling “TEDP application services” or “TEDP sealing” take your money. Put your effort into what still works. That means disputing record errors under the FCRA, paying balances where you can, and applying only at properties that actually approve renters with evictions.
Ready to see who may approve your file? Fill out the form on our home page.
This guide is general information, not legal advice, and we aren’t attorneys. For legal help with your eviction record, talk to a licensed Texas attorney or a Texas legal aid organization.
