From the Medical Center to the Energy Corridor: Houston Apartments That Accept Broken Leases
Houston covers more than 600 square miles, so your search needs a starting point. Maybe that’s the Texas Medical Center off Fannin Street, the Energy Corridor along I-10 west, or Spring up I-45. Tell us where you want to live, and whether Katy, Sugar Land or other nearby cities belong on the list too.
Published by Broken Lease Team · Local sources reviewed October 11, 2026. Each program’s status has its own date below.
Turn a Houston area search into a focused apartment list
Send us the parts of town you want to live in. Should Katy, Sugar Land, Spring or another nearby area be in the search too?
We check each community’s rules against your situation: when your lease ended, how much you owe and whether it’s paid. Your rental history since and the income you can show matter too. That way you get a list built for you before you spend time on apartments whose rules don’t fit. Tell us your full budget for moving in, not just the monthly rent you hope to pay.
Tell us about any other background concerns at the start. They can change which communities belong on your list.
Your old lease might be in Harris County and your next home in Fort Bend or Montgomery. That doesn’t change your apartment search. Just send us the areas where you want to live next. For court records or legal help on an old case, go to the county where it was filed.
See where each community is
The communities on your list show up on the map we send by text and email. If you ride METRO, you can look up a route from any of those addresses with METRO trip planning and rider tools.
Plan move in costs without counting on outside help
We tell you which third party guarantor companies the communities on your list accept. A guarantor is a company that backs your lease for a fee. Once you pick a community, confirm the unit, the price and the fees, and name us as your locator on the application. A guarantor fee isn’t a refundable deposit, and an assistance program may not cover it. Run the real quotes you get through our guarantor quote guide and move in planner. A citywide average won’t tell you what you’ll pay.
Local help in Houston: choose the right route
Need help keeping your place? Start by checking which county your home or case is in. Harris County programs don’t automatically cover Fort Bend or Montgomery County.
For a Harris County eviction, look at the county’s defense program and Lone Star Legal Aid. Renting in Fort Bend or Montgomery County? Apply with Lone Star online or by phone, and don’t assume a Harris County program covers you. Lone Star closed some local offices, but it still takes applications.
These outside groups set their own rules on who qualifies, and they’re separate from our apartment search. Asking them for help doesn’t pause a court deadline, and it doesn’t mean you’ll get money or a lawyer. Programs change often, so call to confirm what’s open.
Program and income rules posted
Harris County Eviction Defense Program
Who or where: Harris County residents at or below 200% of federal poverty guidelines
The county says its providers offer free eviction advice and a lawyer. That includes help before a case is filed, during talks with the landlord and on appeal. To qualify, you have to live in Harris County and stay under an income limit. A provider then has to confirm you’re eligible and agree to take the case.
Your next step: Use the provider link on the county page. When you ask for help, give the county, your hearing date and the kind of notice you got.
Who or where: Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties; apply online or by phone
Lone Star says its Conroe, Richmond and Galveston offices are closed. It still serves those counties online or at 800-733-8394, so call before you drive to an old office address.
Your next step: Find your county in the directory, then apply online or call. If a court date is coming up soon, tell them right away. Applying doesn’t guarantee you a lawyer.
The court’s services page links to case details, court dates and filed documents. Search by the court that handled the case from your old apartment, not the county you’re moving to.
Your next step: Compare the case number and names with your screening report, then ask the clerk for a final order or any missing documents. An empty search doesn’t prove you owe nothing.
Who or where: Each provider sets its own service area and rules
Houston’s housing department funds providers. It doesn’t house people or offer crisis services itself. Its directory sorts help into homelessness, rental and other support, and it sends urgent requests to 2-1-1.
Your next step: Use the directory for the need you have today. Before you plan around any help, ask the provider if they’re taking people now and whether they serve your area.
Is my current rental in Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery or another county?
Is that office still open, or should I apply online or by phone?
Does my screening report match the final court order and how the case ended?
Have the right facts ready
Your current address and county.
Lease dates, a recent itemized balance and any payment or settlement records.
Any notice or citation, including the court, case number and hearing date.
Your target move date and how much you can spend to move in.
Ask the agency which documents it needs and send them the way it asks. Our tools never ask you to upload court papers or ID.
If a screening report is wrong, use our denial and report review guide. Court records, your landlord’s payment history and screening reports each show something different. Paying a balance doesn’t delete the record. Use the preparation kit to organize what you know.
How we keep this page current
Across the Houston area, we keep a log of which communities tell us they’ll consider which broken leases. We note who takes recent or older breaks, paid or settled balances, accounts in collections and no rental history since. We update it as we talk with leasing offices, and we build your list from it. If a community’s rule isn’t clear for your situation, we call and ask. Their rules change, and each community decides for itself whether to approve you.
Each resource on this page links to the agency, court or transit system that runs it, so you can check the details at the source. Funding and open appointments change, so go by what the agency tells you, not by what you read here.
