If you’re looking up income based apartments in Houston has to offer, you’ll run into three main types: public housing, Housing Choice Vouchers and tax-credit apartments. Each has its own income cap, its own application and its own screening. When a past eviction, a credit problem or a criminal record gets in the way, second chance apartments in Houston give you another route.
Below, we walk through how each program works, where to apply, what they check, and what to do when the waitlist is long or the answer is no.
Key Takeaways
- Eviction friendly apartments in Houston still screen you, but a person reviews your history in context.
- Managers focus on three things: money still owed, whether a court judgment exists, and how recent it is.
- Paying or settling an old balance, in writing, usually opens the most doors.
- Proof of income (often about three times the rent), landlord references and a co-signer all help.
- Applying selectively saves application fees, since each denial costs money.
Income based apartments in Houston renters can apply for
Public housing
The housing authority owns these units and runs them itself. Your rent is tied to what your household earns, typically around 30% of adjusted income.
Housing Choice Vouchers
With a voucher, you rent from a private landlord, and the housing authority sends part of the rent straight to them. Your share usually lands around 30% of adjusted income. “Section 8 apartments in Houston” are simply private properties that are willing to take vouchers.
Tax-credit apartments
You’ll also see these called LIHTC properties. A private owner received federal tax credits to build or renovate the property and, in return, agreed to rent some or all of the units at set, below-market rents. In Texas, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs monitors them. The rent is a fixed number rather than a slice of your paycheck.
Who qualifies for low income apartments in Houston?
It comes down to how your household’s earnings stack up against the Houston area median income, or AMI. HUD sorts households into bands. Earning up to 80% of AMI puts you in the low income band, up to 50% is very low income, and up to 30% is extremely low income.
Vouchers mostly go to very low income households, and the bulk of new ones go to the extremely low income group. Tax-credit units usually cap income at 50% or 60% of AMI. The dollar figures change every year and depend on how many people live with you, so check the current numbers on HUD’s website before you apply.
How to find income based apartments in Houston
For public housing, go straight to the Houston Housing Authority. That’s also where you’ll find out whether a voucher list is open. For tax-credit apartments, search the HUD LIHTC database or TDHCA’s property listings, then call properties one at a time, since each one runs its own waitlist. You can also dial 2-1-1 for local referrals.
Apply to more than one program. Waitlists are normal, and spreading your applications around usually gets you an offer sooner.
Section 8 apartments in Houston: how vouchers work
Getting a voucher is only half of it. You still need a landlord who’ll accept it, and in Texas that can be the harder half. State law bars cities and counties from requiring private landlords to accept vouchers, so many Houston landlords just don’t.
Tax-credit properties are the exception worth remembering. Federal rules generally keep them from turning someone away only because they have a voucher, which makes them a smart first call.
Do income based apartments accept evictions?
Sometimes, but assisted housing usually screens more strictly than private second chance apartments. Owing money to a housing authority can mean a denial until it’s repaid or you’re on a payment agreement. An eviction from assisted housing for drug-related criminal activity generally comes with a three-year wait, with some exceptions. Tax-credit communities write their own eviction rules, so the answer changes from one property to the next.
If an eviction is what’s keeping you out, private apartments that accept evictions may look at your application case by case instead.
Do income based apartments accept a criminal record?
It depends on the record and on the program. For public housing and vouchers, federal law forces a denial in a small number of cases, such as lifetime sex offender registration or a conviction for making methamphetamine in federally assisted housing. Beyond those, the housing authority or the property decides.
That picture shifted in late 2025, when HUD withdrew earlier guidance on how criminal records are used in screening and nudged housing authorities toward stricter checks. The Fair Housing Act still applies, and each program still has its own written policy.
Private second chance properties are often more flexible. If a record is your main barrier, take a look at our page on apartments that accept felons.
Long waitlist? Where second chance apartments fit
Assisted housing can take a long time to come through. That’s why many Houston renters apply for help and look for a private second chance apartment at the same time.
Second chance apartments are private communities where a person reviews your application instead of letting software decide. They aren’t subsidized, so you pay market rent, but plenty of them sit in Houston’s lower price ranges. Our January 2026 Houston market snapshot put average rent at lower-income properties at about $1,000 and up.
Our second chance apartment rental services match you with properties whose screening fits your credit, rental history and background. If credit is part of the picture, see apartments that accept bad credit.
Documents to have ready before you apply
Before you fill out a single application, pull together a photo ID for every adult in the household, plus Social Security cards or numbers if you have them. Add proof of income, like pay stubs, benefit letters or bank statements, and your rental history with landlord contacts from the past few years. If you had old balances, bring proof they’re paid or on a plan. A short, honest explanation of any eviction or record rounds it out. Keeping it all in one folder makes each application faster.
Income based and second chance options in other Texas cities
Looking beyond Houston? We also help renters find second chance apartments in Texas:
- Second chance apartments in Dallas
- Second chance apartments in Fort Worth
- Second chance apartments in San Antonio
- Second chance apartments in Austin
- Second chance apartments in El Paso
Questions about your rights as a renter? Start with our tenant rights resources.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a felon get income based apartments in Houston?
Often, yes. Aside from the few federal mandatory denials, housing authorities and tax-credit properties follow their own policies. What the offense was, how long ago it happened and what you’ve done since all factor in.
Does an eviction disqualify you from Section 8?
Not automatically. Owing money to a housing authority, or certain evictions from assisted housing, can mean a denial or a wait. Most other evictions get reviewed under the housing authority’s own rules.
How long is the Houston Section 8 waitlist?
It varies, and the lists open and close. Check the Houston Housing Authority’s website for the current status before you count on a voucher.
Are there income based apartments with no background check?
Rarely. Federally assisted programs have to screen for certain things, and most tax-credit properties screen too. If screening is the barrier, a private second chance apartment that reviews each application is usually the more realistic option.
Are second chance apartments the same as income based apartments?
No. Income based apartments cap income and often tie rent to what you earn. Second chance apartments are private, market-rate communities that are more flexible about evictions, credit and criminal history. Lots of renters try both at once.
