Frequently asked questions

Nothing. There is no fee, no deposit, and no charge for the consultation or the criteria research. The community pays us a referral fee after a lease is signed and you take occupancy, and your rent is not increased to cover it.

A third party guarantees your rent, which lets a property approve an applicant who does not clear its credit or income screening. It is priced as a one-time fee, generally a percentage of annual rent and typically around one month's rent. Programs screen you independently, so qualifying for one is its own step.

Plan for the application fee, admin fee, security deposit (sometimes doubled), any risk fee, a guarantor premium if one is used, first month's rent, and pet fees. Fort Worth apartments average $1,438, with 1BRs at $1,259 and 2BRs at $1,590. We state total cash to move in on every recommendation so nothing collapses at signing.

The court filing is public from the day it is filed and never expires. Screening bureaus commonly report within a seven-year window, but the Tarrant County court record itself remains searchable indefinitely, which is why a dismissed filing still shows up and needs to be documented rather than ignored.

Texas eviction filings are public records from the moment they are filed, regardless of outcome. A dismissal changes the disposition, not the existence of the filing. We document the disposition and file a letter of explanation with the application so the manager reads your version rather than assembling one from the record.

Often, yes. Approval depends on a community's criteria and which third-party programs it accepts, not the age or price of the building. New lease-ups frequently carry the softest criteria in the market, and Class A properties that accept a guarantor will approve applicants an older property declines.

No. 3x is a convention, not a rule, and Tarrant County has communities using 2x and 2.5x. Many properties will also count VA disability, SSI, child support, self-employment income, or combined household income once it is documented. A guarantor program covers the gap where the multiple genuinely cannot be met.

It depends on the property's balance posture. Communities sort into zero balance required, payment plan accepted, and open balance considered. We identify which posture each community takes before you apply, and a guarantor sometimes moves a file from one posture to another.

Not as a rule. Background policy is set by offense category and lookback window, and HUD's 2016 guidance asks properties to weigh the nature of the offense, the time elapsed, and evidence of rehabilitation rather than applying a blanket exclusion. Some communities run that individualized assessment; others apply automated criteria. We research which is which.

Yes. Texas has no source-of-income protection, so participation is voluntary and changes without notice, so we keep a current list of communities accepting HCV within payment standards. Participation and screening criteria are separate gates, so a participating property still reviews your rental history.

Sí. Our team works in English and Spanish, including intake, criteria research, tours, and lease review.

We are licensed real estate agents, not attorneys, and we do not give legal advice. For questions about a filing, a hearing, or an appeal, contact Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas or an attorney. We handle the housing side: finding communities where approval is realistic given your record.