# Bad Credit Apartments Austin | 100% Free Locator > Free help finding bad credit apartments in Austin: licensed locators go through your credit and rental record and send a list, so fewer fees go to denials. URL: https://www.badcreditapartments.com/service-areas/austin/ Travis County # Bad Credit Apartments in Austin: Licensed, Free Help Austin is a renters' town. More than half the homes here are rented, so bad credit apartments in Austin aren't hard to find. The hard part is knowing which leasing offices will approve you, so you don't lose your application fee. One Austin tip before you move: City of Austin Utilities wants a $200 deposit to turn on service. Bring a letter from your last utility showing a year of on-time payments and they'll waive it. [Get My Free List](/get-my-list/) [Call (866) 782-2401](tel:+18667822401) Free, no obligation, takes under 30 seconds. We work with clients who have a range of low credit scores, including under 500, first-time renters and those with no credit. ![Illustration of a garden style apartment community](/images/misc/austin-metro-apartment-community-exterior-with-tre.webp) 5 Texas metros served 30+ yrs combined real estate experience Same day reply on business days $0 free to renters, always ## Bad Credit Apartments in Austin? Stop Wasting Application Fees You're not unhousable. You need someone who already knows which doors are open. ### "I've already been denied at 3 places." Each denial costs about $50 to $85 in nonrefundable fees. We check your fit first so you only spend money where approval is realistic. ### "I don't even know what's on my record." Most renters apply blind. We help you read your tenant file, tell an eviction filing from a judgment, and show your situation in the best light. ### "I need to move this week." Some communities are set up for fast move-ins and can answer within a day or two. We find those first, book your tours, and keep your paperwork moving. Finding those places is what we do. ## Second Chance Leasing Services We Offer We're one licensed team with a screening database for every community, and our help is free to you. ### [ASAP & Same Day Apartment LocatingNeed to move right away? We call ahead to find units that are ready now, book your tours, and keep after the leasing office so your application doesn't sit in a pile.Learn more →](/asap-move-in-apartments/) ### [First Time & No Rental History Apartment LocatingWe help you find an Austin apartment for free when you have no rental or credit history yet. Our TREC licensed agents have over 30 years of combined real estate experience.Learn more →](/first-time-renter-apartments/) ### [Income & Alternative Verification Apartment LocatingSelf-employed, paid on a 1099 or in cash, or carrying a lot of debt? We find communities that take other proof of income.Learn more →](/income-verification-apartments/) ### [Second Chance & Background Friendly Apartment LocatingWe match renters with evictions, broken leases, rental debt, or older criminal records to Texas communities that fit their credit, rental history and income.Learn more →](/second-chance-apartments/) ## How We Help in 4 Steps From "I keep getting denied" to a signed lease, usually in days. 1 ### Tell us your situation Give us a quick rundown of your credit range, history, timing, and budget. The more honest you are, the better we can match you. 2 ### Get a real list We send you communities that will actually consider your situation, not 50 random links you have to check yourself. 3 ### Tour & apply with a plan We tell you what each community needs to see, so your application starts strong. 4 ### Sign and move in If a leasing agent stops answering, we call them for you, answer their questions about your file, and stay with you until you have keys. ## Ready for a Real List of Communities That Fit Your Situation? Free, no obligation. We find the communities around Austin that fit your situation. [Get My Free List](/get-my-list/) [Call (866) 782-2401](tel:+18667822401) ![Illustration of apartment locators planning a search at a shared table](/images/misc/apartment-locators-planning-at-shared-table.webp) ## Why Renters Work With Our Free Locating Team ### 100% free, never a fee to the renter. Communities pay our locator fee. You pay nothing. Ever. ### TREC licensed under a real brokerage. We're not an unlicensed "locator." You get a licensed broker behind every lease we help with. ### We keep every community's screening rules on file. We track which communities approve which credit scores, evictions, and background situations, so you stop guessing. ### We check your fit before you spend a dime. We match your profile to communities that fit your credit, rental history and income, so application fees go to real chances, not automatic denials. ## What We've Learned Placing Renters in Austin Austin is where our screening notes run deepest, and most of them cover Travis County. The county has hundreds of apartment communities, and their rules vary wildly. We track which ones approve renters with bad credit, an eviction, or income that's hard to prove on paper. We cover older, lower cost East Austin complexes near I-35, newer complexes in **Mueller**, and North Austin near **The Domain**. So we can tell you which doors are open and which ones will just eat an application fee. Our TREC licensed team has placed many renters in every part of Austin. Take an eviction filing from two years ago. A **Hyde Park** landlord who reads files by hand may see it one way. But a SafeRent or RealPage screening system on **South Lamar** may treat it very differently. Knowing whether a person or a computer reads your file can mean the difference between a signed lease and another lost application fee. Maybe your credit score is in the 500s, or you broke a lease on an old apartment or duplex. Maybe you work for yourself and show income with bank statements, or you have no Texas rental history. We check your situation against each community's current rules before you pay to apply anywhere. That goes for everything from Central Austin apartments near Lady Bird Lake to **North Loop** townhomes and condos just north of UT. We check every community on an Austin search the same way. We look at credit cutoffs, how they handle evictions, what income proof they take, and how far back background checks go. You get a short list of places that fit your credit, rental history and income, before you spend a dollar applying. ![Illustration of a locator going over screening rules with a renter](/images/features/locator-with-renter-reviewing-screening-criteria-d.webp) ## Neighborhoods we cover in Austin Downtown AustinEast AustinSouth Congress (SoCo)North LoopThe DomainMuellerHyde ParkSouth LamarCherrywood Nearby areas and landmarks Texas State CapitolUniversity of Texas at AustinLady Bird LakeThe DomainDarrell K Royal-Texas Memorial StadiumAustin-Bergstrom International Airport ## Austin on the map ## Areas we cover around Austin Rents and credit rules shift a lot between central Austin and the suburbs up I-35 and out to Hays County. Pick the area you're aiming for and we'll show what we know about it. [Downtown Austin](/service-areas/downtown-austin/) [East Austin](/service-areas/east-austin/) [Mueller](/service-areas/mueller-austin/) [South Congress](/service-areas/south-congress-austin/) [The Domain](/service-areas/the-domain-austin/) [North Austin and the Arboretum](/service-areas/north-austin/) [Southwest Austin and Circle C](/service-areas/southwest-austin/) [West Lake Hills and Lakeway](/service-areas/lakeway/) [Round Rock](/service-areas/round-rock/) [Pflugerville](/service-areas/pflugerville/) [Cedar Park](/service-areas/cedar-park/) [Leander](/service-areas/leander/) [Georgetown](/service-areas/georgetown/) [Hutto](/service-areas/hutto/) [Manor](/service-areas/manor/) [Kyle](/service-areas/kyle/) [San Marcos](/service-areas/san-marcos/) ## Common Questions About Second Chance Rentals in Austin Quick answers to what most second chance renters ask about finding housing here. ### How fast can you put together an apartment list for my Austin search? Within 24 to 48 hours on weekdays, we send a list of Travis County communities that fit your situation. For East Austin, The Domain, and South Congress, we already have each community's current rules on file. ### Do you cover apartments near The Domain and North Austin? Yes. We cover communities all over Austin, from The Domain area along MoPac down to East Austin near I-35. We track which North Austin complexes approve renters with credit or rental history problems. ### I've been denied at 3 Austin apartments and lost the application fees. What now? Stop applying blind. Each Austin application costs about $50 to $85 in fees you don't get back. We check your situation against each community's actual rules, so you only pay to apply where you have a real shot. That means fewer fees lost on denials. ### Can you help if I want South Congress or East Austin? Yes. South Congress, Cherrywood, and Mueller each have their own mix of communities with different rules. East Austin has older, lower cost properties right next to newer builds, and we track the credit and eviction cutoffs at each one. ### What if I can't meet Austin's usual income rule of 3x rent? Several Austin communities take bank statements or offer letters. Others will have a person look over your income by hand if you work for yourself or get paid on a 1099. We can point you to them. Failing the 3x rule at one community doesn't mean you'll fail everywhere in Travis County. ### Where can I find a second chance apartment locator near me in Austin? We help renters in every Austin neighborhood, from Downtown and East Austin to Hyde Park, Mueller, The Domain, and North Loop. Give us a call. It's free, and there's no obligation. ## Nearby areas we serve ### [Round RockWe've placed renters all over Round Rock, in garden style communities and older, lower cost complexes around La…](/service-areas/round-rock/) ### [PflugervilleThe newer complexes along SH-130 and Parmer Lane are often a good fit for second chance renters in the Austin…](/service-areas/pflugerville/) ## Get Your Free Austin Apartment List Get a real list of communities that fit your situation. Free, fast, no judgment. [Get My Free List](/get-my-list/) [Call (866) 782-2401](tel:+18667822401)