# Second Chance Apartments Decatur, TX | Verified Criteria > Looking for second chance apartments in Decatur, TX? Free locating for renters with evictions, broken leases, or bad credit. Call (817) 555-0142. URL: https://fortworthsecondchanceapartments.com/service-areas/decatur/ ![Tarrant County garden-style apartment complex exterior with carports and parking lot under overcast daylight](/images/hero/tarrant-county-garden-style-apartment-complex-exte.webp) Wise County · Population # Second Chance Apartment Locating in Decatur, TX Last updated: August 1, 2026 Fort Worth Second Chance Team - licensed Texas agent, TREC #679806, veteran-operated (U.S. Army) - locates apartments in Decatur, TX for renters carrying evictions, broken leases, or bad credit. The Wise County seat sits roughly 40 miles northwest of Fort Worth on US-380, with rental inventory concentrated along the US-81/287 corridor and through Downtown Decatur. Most stock is older and locally managed, where on-site managers retain real discretion. Rents generally track below the $1,438 Fort Worth average (2026 rates). Free to renters. Response in under 60 minutes during posted hours Free to renters TREC #679806 English & Spanish Start Your Search [/start-your-search/ →](/start-your-search/) (817) 555-0142 [tel:+18175550142 →](tel:+18175550142) Licensed TREC #679806 Brokerage Spirit Real Estate Group, TREC #562021-B Cost to you $0, communities pay the referral fee Response Under 60 minutes during posted hours Why the last application failed ## Denied in Decatur? Here Is What Blocked Your Approval Fort Worth landlords filed just under 46,000 eviction notices in 2023, and Texas court records are public the day they are filed. Most renters with a record are not failing because approval is impossible. They are failing because nobody told them the criteria before they paid the fee. Every denial costs $50 to $100 A run of them burns $400 to $600 in non-refundable fees with nothing to show for it. The fee is charged whether the answer was ever going to be yes. "Second chance" ads still deny you Plenty of listings marketed that way still decline a five-year-old filing or an open balance. The ad is marketing. The criteria are what decide. A dismissed eviction still shows Texas filings are public from the day they are filed and never expire. A dismissal changes the disposition, not the existence of the record. What is different about this market Wise County seat with older locally managed stock, below-average rents, and on-site manager discretion as the primary second chance approval path. We start the search from that, not from a generic county-wide list. ![Rental application denial letter and a phone left on a kitchen counter in harsh midday light](/images/misc/rental-application-denial-letter-and-a-phone-left-.webp) What it costs Three to five denials is $400 to $600 in fees you do not get back. At a glance ## What decides a rental search here Population & county Wise County School districts - Decatur ISD Major employers - Wise County government - Wise Health System - Decatur ISD Commute & transit US-380 US-81/US-287 SH-51 ![Row of Tarrant County apartment buildings along a residential street with parked cars and live oaks](/images/misc/row-of-tarrant-county-apartment-buildings-along-a-.webp) Rent context As of 2026, rents here generally track below the $1,438 Fort Worth average, with older locally managed stock at the lower end of the range. The lower base rent reduces every line item at signing. Fort Worth apartments average $1438 across all unit types, with studios around $1,075, 1BRs $1,259, 2BRs $1,590, and 3BRs $2,011. ## Match Your Barrier to an Approval Route Same second chance apartment locating in Fort Worth [/ →](/) across the county, applied to whatever is on your record. Start with the one that matches your situation. ![Fort Worth Second Chance Team reviewing a rental application at a leasing office desk](/images/misc/fort-worth-apartment-leasing-office-desk-with-a-pr.webp) ### Apartments That Accept Evictions Free apartment locating for Fort Worth renters with an eviction filing. Each community's lookback window and balance policy verified before you apply. Free to renters [Apartments That Accept Evictions →](/apartments-that-accept-evictions/) ![Fort Worth Second Chance Team lease paperwork and pen on a leasing office table beside a laptop](/images/misc/signed-apartment-lease-paperwork-and-a-pen-on-a-le.webp) ### Apartments That Accept a Guarantor Matching you to communities that accept a third-party lease guarantee or deposit alternative. Free to renters [Apartments That Accept a Guarantor →](/apartments-that-accept-a-guarantor/) ![Cardboard moving boxes stacked in an empty Fort Worth apartment with vinyl plank flooring after a lease break](/images/misc/cardboard-moving-boxes-stacked-in-an-empty-apartme.webp) ### Broken Lease Apartments Placement for renters carrying a broken lease, with or without an open balance. Free to renters [Broken Lease Apartments →](/broken-lease-apartments/) ![Credit report and phone showing rental screening score on a Fort Worth kitchen counter](/images/misc/printed-credit-report-pages-and-a-phone-showing-a-.webp) ### Bad Credit Apartments Free apartment locating for renters in Fort Worth with credit below the 580-620 threshold most properties set. Free to renters [Bad Credit Apartments →](/bad-credit-apartments/) ![Fort Worth Class A apartment building exterior with balconies and ground-floor leasing office](/images/misc/newer-four-story-class-a-apartment-building-exteri.webp) ### Luxury Apartments With Bad Credit Access to new construction and Class A inventory through criteria matching and third-party programs. Free to renters [Luxury Apartments With Bad Credit →](/luxury-apartments-with-bad-credit/) ![Vacant-ready Fort Worth apartment living room with vinyl plank flooring ready for immediate move-in](/images/misc/vacant-ready-apartment-living-room-with-clean-viny.webp) ### Immediate Move-In Apartments Expedited search on immediate move-in inventory in Fort Worth for renters facing a hard deadline. Free to renters [Immediate Move-In Apartments →](/immediate-move-in-apartments/) Most relevant here: Apartments That Accept Evictions [/apartments-that-accept-evictions/ →](/apartments-that-accept-evictions/) ## How Your Apartment Search Works, Start to Keys Four steps from your first message to keys. Most of the work happens before you ever pay an application fee. Step 1 ### Tell us the record Move-in date, budget, the part of town you need to be near, and the filing, balance, credit range, or background behind the last denial. Step 2 ### We match criteria Your file goes against criteria we confirmed and dated: lookback windows, balance policy, income multiple, credit floor, and which third-party programs each community accepts. Step 3 ### You apply once Document set prepared, letter of explanation where it helps, and applications only where the criteria already permit your record. Step 4 ### Lease review and keys We read the lease with you, confirm total cash at signing, and follow up on a denial if one comes back. What you are agreeing to ## Stop Spending Application Fees on Properties That Will Deny You Send us the situation you would rather not put in an application: the filing, the balance, the credit range, the background. It is the part that decides where we start. Start Your Search [/start-your-search/ →](/start-your-search/) Text us your situation [sms:8175550142 →](sms:8175550142) - No fee, no deposit, and no charge for the research. The community pays a referral fee at lease signing, and your rent is not raised to cover it. - No obligation. If nothing here fits your file this month, we say so instead of sending you to tour anyway. - Total cash to move in is stated before you tour, not after an approval lands. - If a neighboring city reaches the same jobs for less rent, we tell you that too. Why this market is different ## Inside the Decatur Second Chance Apartment Market ### A county seat where the manager still reads your file Most of the rental inventory along **US-380** and the streets around the **Wise County Courthouse** is owned or managed by smaller local operators who do not run **RealPage** or **Yardi** automated screening. When a manager can read your file, the framing of your application changes. A dismissed eviction, a lease broken because of a job loss or a relocation, a settled balance - these land differently in front of a person than in front of an algorithm. That does not mean criteria are absent. Each property sets its own lookback window, its own balance policy, and its own standard for what counts as a sufficient explanation. Your screening history through **Experian RentBureau**, **CoreLogic SafeRent**, or **TransUnion SmartMove** still follows you, so we walk through pulling those reports before applying. Wise County administers its own eviction docket through the Wise County Justice of the Peace courts, separate from Tarrant County's system, so a filing here appears on Wise County records rather than the Tarrant County Odyssey Public Access platform. Fort Worth Second Chance Team confirms criteria with each property, logs the date, and prepares the letter of explanation before your first application. The search starts with your record, not the listing price. ![Galley kitchen in a Tarrant County apartment with laminate countertops, white appliances, and vinyl plank flooring](/images/misc/galley-kitchen-in-a-tarrant-county-apartment-with-.webp) ### Below-average rents and local management, with a real commute trade-off The rental stock along **US-380**, the **US-81/US-287 corridor**, and through the residential neighborhoods radiating from the **SH-51** bypass is predominantly older, managed by individual owners or smaller regional operators. That is where individual judgment lives, and where a documented explanation reaches the person making the decision. Rents here track below the $1,438 Fort Worth average (2026 rates), which reduces total cash at signing: the deposit, any conditional fee, and the cost of a guarantor program through **TheGuarantors** or **OneApp Guarantee** are all sized against a lower base rent. **Wise Health System** serves as the primary hospital and is one of the largest local employers, alongside **Wise County** government offices and **Decatur ISD**. The **Wise County Courthouse** on the downtown square dates to 1896 and anchors the historic commercial core, with the older rental corridors radiating outward along **US-380** and the county road network toward **East Decatur** and **North Decatur**. **Lake Bridgeport**, a Corps of Engineers reservoir roughly 20 miles west, and the **Lyndon B. Johnson National Grassland** to the northeast - managed by the U.S. Forest Service and headquartered here - provide the rural recreational character that distinguishes this market from the suburban density of Tarrant County. A guarantor program through **TheGuarantors** or **OneApp Guarantee** is the documented path when a file needs a program rather than a conversation, and deposit alternatives through **Jetty** or **LeaseLock** can reduce cash at signing when a conditional approval doubles the deposit. The practical constraint is the commute. **US-380** puts Fort Worth roughly 40 miles east, a drive that adds real cost in fuel and time if your work is in Tarrant County. Renters who work locally at **Wise Health System**, **Decatur ISD**, or county government offices get the full benefit of lower rents without that trade-off. We factor the commute into every recommendation we send. ### Why Decatur Renters With a Record Choose Us - We confirm criteria with each Decatur property and log the date, including smaller local operators who do not publish screening policies - We prepare the letter of explanation that locally managed US-380 corridor and downtown properties will actually read - We identify which properties accept guarantor programs through TheGuarantors or OneApp Guarantee when a file needs a program instead of context - We state total cash to move in - deposit, fees, and any program premium - before you spend an application fee - Free to you, because the community pays a referral fee at lease signing About property criteria here Community criteria are confirmed with the property or management company, logged with a date, and re-verified quarterly. Criteria are not a guarantee of approval. We do not publish a static list of community names here, because criteria shift with occupancy and a stale list costs you application fees. When you send us your situation we pull the current, dated criteria for the communities that fit it: eviction lookback, rental debt policy, income multiple, background policy, and which third-party programs each one accepts. ## Before you apply: Apartments That Accept Evictions Guide ### Dismissed, Settled, or Judgment: How Each Eviction Disposition Screens Three dispositions, three different screening outcomes. Find out which one you carry and what documenting it changes on an application. [Dismissed, Settled, or Judgment: How Each Eviction Disposition Screens →](/guide/dismissed-settled-or-judgment-eviction-dispositions/) Guide ### How to Write an Eviction Letter of Explanation Property Managers Accept Dates, disposition, what changed since, and current stability, what the letter must contain, what to attach, and what to leave out. [How to Write an Eviction Letter of Explanation Property Managers Accept →](/guide/eviction-letter-of-explanation/) Guide ### Eviction Lookback Windows: How Far Back Fort Worth Properties Check Common lookback windows, who sets them, and why 'second chance' ads still deny five-year filings with an open balance. [Eviction Lookback Windows: How Far Back Fort Worth Properties Check →](/guide/eviction-lookback-windows-fort-worth/) Guide ### Eviction on Your Record: Guarantor Program vs. Softer-Criteria Property Two paths with an eviction filing: a property whose criteria already permit it, or one that approves with a guarantee. Cost, inventory, and speed compared. [Eviction on Your Record: Guarantor Program vs. Softer-Criteria Property →](/guide/guarantor-vs-softer-criteria-property-with-an-eviction/) Coverage ## Where we search in Decatur We work the whole city, not a shortlist. These are the areas renters ask for most often, and the reference points people use when they tell us where they need to be. ### Neighborhoods and districts Downtown Decatur East Decatur North Decatur South Decatur West Decatur US-380 corridor US-81/287 corridor Wise County Fairgrounds area Searching a different part of the county? Our service area pages [/service-areas/ →](/service-areas/) cover the rest of Tarrant County. ### Landmarks renters navigate by - Wise County Courthouse - Wise Health System - Lake Bridgeport - Lyndon B. Johnson National Grassland Getting around US-380 is the primary east-west corridor connecting the city to Fort Worth roughly 40 miles east and to Bridgeport and Jacksboro further west. US-81/US-287 runs north-south through the city toward Wichita Falls to the north and toward the Tarrant County line to the south. SH-51 provides a bypass route around the downtown square. There is no commuter rail or fixed-route bus service, so a car is a practical requirement for virtually every trip. When factoring rent against a Fort Worth commute, the drive time on US-380 belongs in the budget alongside the lower rent. ## Questions Decatur Renters Ask First Are there second chance apartments in Decatur with an eviction on my record? Yes. Most of the inventory along the US-380 corridor and surrounding streets is locally managed, and local managers can weigh context rather than only a pass or fail output from an automated system. A dismissed eviction or one with a documentable explanation stands a better chance of being read here than in a corporate-criteria building. Each property still sets its own lookback window and balance policy, which is what we confirm before you apply. Does a Wise County eviction filing show up the same way as a Tarrant County filing? No. Wise County administers its own docket through the Wise County Justice of the Peace courts, and the record appears on the Wise County court system rather than the Tarrant County Odyssey Public Access platform. Renters with filings in both counties carry two separate court records. We document the disposition of each and sort properties by lookback window before you spend an application fee. Is it easier to rent here with an eviction than in Fort Worth submarkets? For the right barrier type, yes. The locally managed stock along the US-380 and US-287 corridors gives a manager the authority to read an explanation - something automated screening at corporate-run properties does not do. That is an advantage for dismissed filings, documented one-offs, and settled balances. For a recent open filing with an unpaid balance, the route still runs through a guarantor program, which we identify before you spend a fee. What does it cost to move into an apartment here? Rents track below the $1,438 Fort Worth average (2026 rates), and the move-in stack reflects that: the deposit, application fee, and any risk fee are all sized against a lower base rent. A guarantor program through TheGuarantors or OneApp Guarantee typically runs about one month's rent, and deposit alternatives through Jetty or LeaseLock replace a large cash deposit with a smaller monthly premium. We state the full number on every recommendation before you tour. Is the commute from Decatur to Fort Worth realistic without a car? No. There is no commuter rail or fixed-route bus connecting the city to Fort Worth or the mid-cities. US-380 is a car commute of roughly 40 miles. If your work is in Tarrant County, tell us at intake and we will price the commute against the rent savings honestly rather than presenting a number that looks good on paper. Where can I find a second chance apartment near me in Decatur? We cover all of Decatur and the surrounding Wise County area, from older locally managed properties along the US-380 and US-81/287 corridors to residential neighborhoods across the city. Tell us your move-in date and your record at intake, and we match you to communities whose criteria already permit your file. Response in under 60 minutes during posted hours. Start Your Search [/start-your-search/ →](/start-your-search/) Free to you. Response in under 60 minutes during posted hours ## Nearby cities we cover Widening the search by one city often changes what your file can reach. A lower rent means a lower income multiple and a smaller deposit at signing, and the criteria are different one city over. We serve all of Fort Worth and Tarrant County. These five city pages exist because each has a documented, non-interchangeable approval story, not because our service area is limited to them. - Northwest Tarrant County Suburban multi-city market split between older locally managed stock in Saginaw and Lake Worth, and newer Keller planned communities running corporate criteria with broad guarantor acceptance, requiring a different approval path per barrier type. [/service-areas/northwest-tarrant-county/ →](/service-areas/northwest-tarrant-county/) - North Fort Worth Alliance corridor Class A delivery wave with broad guarantor acceptance, alongside older Fossil Creek stock where on-site discretion still lives. [/service-areas/north-fort-worth/ →](/service-areas/north-fort-worth/) - Denton College-town market producing two distinct approval routes: older UNT and TWU-corridor student housing with on-site discretion, and newer Loop 288 corridor product with broad guarantor acceptance. [/service-areas/denton/ →](/service-areas/denton/) - All service areas [/service-areas/ →](/service-areas/) ![Garden-style Fort Worth apartment building seen from the parking lot on an overcast afternoon](/images/hero/three-story-garden-style-fort-worth-apartment-buil.webp) ## Ready to Find Your Second Chance in Decatur? Tell us your record and your move-in date. We come back with communities whose criteria already permit it, and what each one costs at signing. Start Your Search [/start-your-search/ →](/start-your-search/) Call (817) 555-0142 [tel:+18175550142 →](tel:+18175550142) Free to renters. Communities pay the referral fee at lease signing. We do not guarantee approval; every screening decision belongs to the community.