TEXAS BROKEN LEASE GUIDE
Your Broken Lease Action Plan
Build a broken lease action plan for your situation. See which documents to find, what to ask about screening and what to do next before you apply again.
Your next steps
Your plan isn’t saved when you leave. Print or save it if you want to keep it.
See every situation
My broken lease is recent
Start with the facts
Write down the lease end date, the balance on your record and where the account stands now. Keep any notice or statement that explains the charges.
Ask before you apply
Get the community’s criteria, and ask if it will look at an application with your dates and balance. Use the criteria request template.
Check that the costs work for you
Ask which provider the community accepts, if any. Put the full written quote into the cost planner.
My broken lease is older
Find out what actually shows up
Write down the lease end date and where the balance stands now. Don’t assume the age of the lease break decides an application on its own.
Ask how the community screens
Ask how many years of rental history it looks at, and which account statuses matter. How far back a community looks and how long a record can be reported are two different questions.
Show your rental history since then
Use the preparation kit to line up references from later rentals or other records of where you’ve lived.
I have an unpaid rental balance
Get an itemized account record
Find out the balance, charges, credits and who handles the account now. Use the records request template.
Ask what the community requires
Ask what matters to the community: that there’s a balance at all, how much it is, how old it is or whether it’s being paid. Find out which documents it would accept.
Keep old debt and new move-in costs separate
Don’t count a payment on an old account as a deposit for your next apartment. Use the comparison worksheet to write down what each community actually requires.
The rental account is in collections
Know the account and who you’re dealing with
Keep the collection notice and your records. Confirm who handles the account before you send documents or money.
Check for an error
If something is wrong, follow the reporting company’s dispute process. Our guide for after a denial links to official guidance.
Ask what the next community needs
Get its criteria and the list of documents it wants. Don’t assume a payment or settlement will change its decision. If you dispute that you owe the debt, check our legal help resources.
I paid or settled the balance
Get proof it’s paid or settled
Collect receipts and a letter that says the account is paid or settled and shows any balance left. Don’t call a settlement “paid in full” if your records don’t back that up.
Compare the records
If a screening report doesn’t match your records, pin down exactly what’s different and follow the report review steps.
Ask how the community looks at it
Ask if your documents meet its requirements. Paying the balance doesn’t hold a unit for you or guarantee approval.
An eviction record is involved
Know the record and how the case ended
Get the case number and the record of how the case ended, if you can. Find out what the screening report actually says.
Handle urgent legal deadlines first
If a case is still open or you got court papers, get Texas legal help right away. This plan doesn’t work out court deadlines for you.
Talk through the whole situation
Ask what the community looks at, including how the case ended and any balance. If a report is wrong, use our guide for after a denial.
I don’t know what’s on my record
Start with the records you have
Find your lease, any letters or emails about moving out, account statements and any decision notices from applications.
Ask what report they used
If a report played a part in a decision, our guide for after a denial explains how to ask for it.
Talk it through with us
Tell our team what you know and what you’re still unsure about. You don’t need to guess a balance or say your record is clean. Request help with your search.
Build your preparation packet
Rental Application Preparation Templates and Checklist
Use our rental application preparation templates to ask for records, get your documents in order and explain your situation. Edit each draft and check it before you send it.
Open →Texas Apartment Application Fees and Deposits
Learn how Texas apartment application fees and application deposits work, which terms to get in writing and how they differ from security deposits and provider fees.
Open →How Our Broken Lease Apartment Locating Service Works
See how our broken lease apartment locating service works: we look at your situation, check what communities screen for and put together a list for you.
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