If you are applying for a Houston rental, the property's written selection criteria are the best guide to what its owner or property manager may review. Texas Property Code Chapter 92 requires a landlord to make its criteria and possible denial grounds available when providing a rental application. Those provisions identify topics the criteria may cover but do not prescribe a single credit score or income multiple for all rental applications. Before paying a fee, ask for the criteria that apply to the specific home.
Texas law requires a landlord to make written tenant-selection criteria and possible denial grounds available when providing a rental application. The criteria can address criminal history, rental history, current income, credit history, and inaccurate or incomplete application information. Section 92.3515 requires disclosure; it does not prescribe a credit-score floor or income multiple. Texas Property Code § 92.3515.
What a landlord may review
The written criteria for the property are more useful than a general online rule of thumb. Screening can include some or all of the following, depending on the landlord's policy and the application:
| Information | What the landlord may be checking | What you can prepare |
|---|---|---|
| Income and ability to pay | Whether documented income meets the property's stated standard | Recent pay statements, an offer letter, benefit records, or an explanation and documents for variable or self-employment income |
| Credit history | Payment patterns, collections, debt obligations, or items named in the criteria | Review your credit files for errors and keep records showing how a disputed item was resolved |
| Rental history | Prior addresses, landlord references, rent records, lease compliance, and court records | Current contact details for prior landlords and documents showing how any rent dispute or court case ended |
| Criminal history | The record types and time period covered by the property's policy | If a report may contain a mistaken identity or missing case outcome, gather official records that clarify it |
| Application completeness | Whether required fields and supporting documents are present and consistent | Use consistent identifying details, answer accurately, and ask how to complete a field that does not fit your situation |
These are possible screening categories, not guaranteed checks or automatic grounds for denial. Ask what the property counts as income, which rental records it reviews, whether it uses a minimum credit score, what criminal records it considers, and what time period applies. Do not assume a rule such as “three times the rent” or a particular credit score applies unless it appears in the criteria for that rental.
Before you pay an application fee
- Ask for the written criteria and denial grounds. Texas Property Code § 92.3515 requires the landlord to make a printed notice available when providing the application. If the notice is made available, the applicant signs an acknowledgment; without that signature, the statute creates a rebuttable presumption that the notice was not made available. Keep a copy or screenshot with the date and property address.
- Separate the application fee from an application deposit. Texas law defines an application fee as a nonrefundable amount to offset screening costs. An application deposit is a different payment and is refundable if the applicant is rejected. Ask for each amount and its terms in writing. The statute requires both the fee and deposit to be returned if the landlord rejects an applicant without making the required criteria notice available.
- Ask about timing and how the decision will arrive. Under § 92.352, an applicant is deemed rejected if the landlord has not given notice of acceptance by the seventh day after a completed application is submitted on the landlord's form, or after an application deposit is accepted if no form was provided. Section 92.353(c) extends only a required acceptance-notice date or application-deposit refund date that falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or state or federal holiday to the end of the next day. The statute also treats rejection of one co-applicant as rejection of all co-applicants. Read the full text for the rule that fits your circumstances.
- Submit a complete, consistent application. Inaccurate or missing information is one of the grounds Texas law says may be included in selection criteria. If a document is delayed, tell the property manager and ask how to document that before submitting.
- Keep the record. Save the criteria, application, screening consent, fee receipt, decision notice, and messages. These records can help you check which policy was applied if a problem arises.
If the report or decision looks wrong
If a landlord denies your application, requires a co-signer, or changes the deposit or rent based in whole or in part on a tenant-screening consumer report, federal Fair Credit Reporting Act requirements may apply. The landlord must provide an adverse-action notice with the screening company's contact details, state that the screening company did not make the decision and is unable to provide the specific reasons for the action, and explain your right to request a free copy of the report from that company within 60 days and dispute inaccurate or incomplete information. If the decision used a credit score, additional score disclosures apply. The Federal Trade Commission explains these steps in its tenant background-check guide; see also 15 U.S.C. § 1681m and 15 U.S.C. § 1681j.
Check that the report belongs to you and reflects the final outcome of any court matter. Screening reports can contain mixed identities, duplicate cases, sealed or expunged records, or cases that omit a dismissal or settlement. If something appears wrong, contact both the reporting company and the property manager promptly, provide documents that establish the correct information, and keep the exchange in writing. The FTC says a screening company generally must investigate a dispute within 30 days.
Housing discrimination and accommodation concerns
Fair-housing rules also apply to tenant screening. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability. If you need a reasonable accommodation related to a disability or believe a screening decision treated you differently for a protected reason, record what happened and consider contacting HUD or a Texas tenant legal-aid provider. Program-specific rules may add requirements, so applicants for subsidized housing should check the program's own criteria. See 42 U.S.C. § 3604 and the City of Houston's Tenant/Landlord Relations resources, which list local fair-housing contacts and legal-aid information.
If you are working with a lawyer or legal-aid provider, it may help to collect the application, criteria, report, and messages in one dated record. Gotham's guides on extracting information from contract documents, organizing a legal case intake, building an evidence-linked chronology, and organizing litigation documents describe general document workflows. They do not interpret Texas tenant law or decide whether a landlord's criteria were lawful.
Quick checklist
- Ask for the written tenant-selection criteria before paying, and keep the acknowledgment with your copy.
- Confirm the screening fee, any separate application deposit, and the decision timeline.
- Prepare identity, income, and rental-history documents that fit the stated policy.
- Check reports for identity errors and missing case outcomes.
- If a consumer report led to an adverse decision, use the notice to request your free report within 60 days and dispute errors.
- Keep copies of the policy, application, receipts, report notices, and follow-up.
Scope: This guide summarizes general screening and application information for prospective renters in Houston, Texas. It does not predict a particular landlord's decision or provide legal advice. Property policies, local rules, federally assisted housing requirements, and individual circumstances can differ. Read the criteria for the specific rental and seek qualified legal help for a dispute.
Questions about Houston rental applications
Does Texas Property Code § 92.3515 set a credit-score floor or income multiple?
No. Section 92.3515 requires landlords to disclose their own tenant-selection criteria and lists current income and credit history as possible topics. It does not prescribe a numeric credit-score floor or income multiple. Ask the property manager which written criteria apply to the specific home.
What screening criteria must a Texas landlord disclose?
When providing a rental application, a landlord must make printed tenant-selection criteria and possible denial grounds available. Texas Property Code § 92.3515 lists criminal history, previous rental history, current income, credit history, and inaccurate or incomplete application information among the topics. The statute requires disclosure; it does not set a universal pass threshold.
Does a Texas landlord have to refund my application fee if I am denied?
Not in every denial. Texas law defines an application fee as a nonrefundable screening-cost payment and an application deposit as refundable if the applicant is rejected. If the landlord rejects you without making the required selection-criteria notice available, § 92.3515(e) requires return of both the application fee and any application deposit. Check which payment you made and the exact conditions.
How long can a Houston landlord take to decide on an application?
Under Texas Property Code § 92.352, an applicant is deemed rejected if the landlord has not given notice of acceptance by the seventh day after a completed application is submitted on the landlord's form, or after the landlord accepts an application deposit if no form was provided. Section 92.353(c) extends a required acceptance-notice date or application-deposit refund date that falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or state or federal holiday to the end of the next day.
What can I do if a tenant-screening report has an error?
If a landlord takes an adverse action based in whole or in part on a consumer report, the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires an adverse-action notice with the reporting company's contact information and other details. You can request a free copy from the reporting company within 60 days and dispute inaccurate or incomplete information. Keep your notice and supporting records, and tell the landlord that a dispute is pending.
Where can I find Houston tenant or landlord resources?
The City of Houston's Tenant/Landlord Relations page lists local information and directs people seeking legal help to Lone Star Legal Aid. The page also provides fair-housing complaint contacts. A city resource is a starting point, not a decision about your application or legal rights.
General information about rental applications in Houston, Texas, not legal advice. A property's written criteria, the specific report used, federal and local rules, assistance-program requirements, and your circumstances can affect the result. Check the current law and seek qualified legal help for a dispute.
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