Apartments for Bad Credit and Evictions in Texas

The Most Common Screening Combo and How We Handle It

Many of the renters we help across Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Austin, and San Antonio have both an eviction and damaged credit. The same money trouble that led to the eviction usually led to missed credit card payments, collections, or a lower FICO score too. Screening companies like SafeRent count both against you. From what we see, that double hit often sets off an automatic denial. Our team has 5+ combined years placing renters with evictions, with a TREC licensed agent on every case.

Three moves usually work together. Go after properties that put current income above credit score. Use a deposit alternative to cut the bigger deposit that often comes with bad credit. Add a guarantor when the numbers don’t work on their own.

You don't pay us for any of it. The property pays our commission when you sign a lease. We walk through each piece below.

Why the 3x Rent Rule Is Your Best Shot at Approval

Most Texas properties we work with want your gross monthly income to be at least 3x the rent. If you can meet it cleanly, that's the strongest answer you have to both an eviction and bad credit. It tells the property: “This person can afford the rent, even with credit that isn't great.”

When your income isn't a regular paycheck, this is how to prove 3x rent:

• W-2 income: your two most recent paystubs plus an employment verification letter
• Self employed or 1099: two years of tax returns plus 3 months of bank statements showing steady deposits
• Gig, delivery or rideshare: 12 months of earnings statements from the apps (Uber, Lyft, DoorDash) plus bank statements
• More than one income source: add them all up and show paperwork for each
• Cash income: harder to show, so your bank deposit history does most of the work

Our self employment income guide goes into more detail.

Which Texas Properties Put Income Ahead of Credit Score?

From what we see, independent owners are the most flexible. That means smaller landlords in Southwest Houston, East Dallas, South Austin, and the West Side of San Antonio. When your income and rental history look strong, they often skip the full credit pull.

Class B mid market properties with income first policies. Our placements often land at properties managed by:

• Willow Bridge Property Company (many Texas properties)
• RPM Living (varies by property)
• Older Venterra and Presidium properties

These properties usually want 620+ credit if you have an eviction. But they'll often take 550 to 620 if your income is 4x the rent and your rental history is clean since the eviction.

Class A luxury is mostly out of reach with an eviction plus bad credit. The exception we see: credit of 650+, income of 4x rent, and an eviction that's 3+ years old and either paid off or dismissed.

What Rhino, Jetty, and Obligo Actually Do for Your Application

Rhino (now Greenlight Rent), Jetty, and Obligo are best known for deposit alternatives. Here’s the catch: a deposit alternative doesn’t cover your credit or eviction risk at all. It replaces or shrinks the cash deposit, usually for a fee you pay monthly or up front.

• Greenlight Deposit (formerly Rhino): the deposit alternative we see most often at Class B and Class A Texas properties. Rhino renamed itself Greenlight Rent in 2026. Pricing isn’t published, but renters we've placed with an eviction or bad credit often pay around $15 to $50 a month.
• Jetty: a similar setup, and we see it at slightly fewer Texas properties. Jetty and Rhino merged in 2025, but Jetty’s products still use the Jetty name.
• Obligo: deposit options tied to your bank account or card. You can qualify with a steady history of bank balances, or with two cards and a soft credit check.

These help by:

1. Cutting the cash you need up front (no bigger deposit to pay)
2. Making the property a little more comfortable with you, since the deposit is covered
3. Leaving your credit score alone

If a platform like SafeRent or RentGrow denies you automatically for the eviction, a deposit alternative usually won't change that. Think of them as an extra, not a fix.

OneApp, Liberty Rent, and TheGuarantors: Which One Fits?

Recent eviction, credit under 550 and thin income paperwork? That’s one of the toughest combinations, and guarantor products are often where we start.

• OneApp: the most common partner we see at Texas properties. A participating property that denies you or approves you with conditions can refer you. If OneApp approves you, it backs the lease like a cosigner, up to a limit.
• Liberty Rent: a second chance approval program for renters a property would otherwise turn down.
• TheGuarantors: mostly at Class A, and it tends to want higher income.

What you'll pay for a guarantor (as of 2026) depends on the product. Liberty Rent charges a $35 application fee (refunded if you’re not approved). If you’re approved, its one time access fee is usually one month’s rent. At properties that use its PrecisePrice, it runs 50% to 125% of that.

OneApp charges one flat fee if you’re approved: one month’s base rent for a standard lease of about a year. See our guarantor review.

How Much Cash Do You Actually Need to Move In?

Say your rent is $1,500 a month (average rents in our cities run about $1,260 to $1,650 a month, per RentCafe, September 2026). Here's a rough example for one adult:

• Application fee: $50 to $85 per adult (HelloData's 2025 Texas fee data)
• Risk fee: $150 to $500 (what we usually see in our placements)
• Security deposit: we use two months’ rent here ($3,000). A conditional approval with an eviction sometimes asks for that, and yours may be lower. Greenlight Deposit (formerly Rhino) can replace it, and renters we place often pay about $15 to $50 a month for it
• First month’s rent and admin fee: $1,500 plus about $100 (the average Texas admin fee, per HelloData's 2025 data)
• Guarantor fee (if used): varies by product (Liberty Rent’s is usually one month’s rent)

Total upfront cash with a 2x deposit: about $4,800 to $5,200, plus any guarantor fee. Total upfront cash with Greenlight Deposit: about $1,800 to $2,200, and then you pay its monthly fee.

How We Place You, Step by Step

Here's what we do:

1. Go through your income sources and build the strongest 3x rent case we can on paper
2. Help you get your own credit report and screening report (SafeRent, RentGrow, or TransUnion SmartMove), so we're both looking at what leasing offices will see
3. Send you a short list of income first properties in the metro you're moving to: Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Austin, or San Antonio
4. Help you set up a deposit alternative, a guarantor, or both
5. Help you put your paperwork together so your income proof is front and center
6. Help you write your letter of explanation

From what we've seen, many of our clients with an eviction and bad credit get placed within a week or two. Fill out the form above or call 888-846-7541.

How We Compare to Searching on Your Own