Eviction Prevention

Evictions are never an easy thing for residents to deal with. Evictions disrupt people's daily life. Evictions can cause financial strife and undue stress. Most importantly, evictions put people at risk of becoming homeless.

For Tenants

TCHC wants to do everything within its power to prevent evictions and keep Tarrant County housed. An eviction is a lawsuit filed by a landlord to remove someone and their possessions from the landlord's property. A landlord may file an eviction lawsuit against you if you fail to pay rent or fail to abide by some other provision of the lease agreement. Some behaviors that can start the eviction process could include:

• Non-payment of rent
• Drugs (using/selling)
• Violence
• Housekeeping habits
• Unauthorized occupants
• Nuisance
• Disturbances
• Pets
• Mental health and erratic behaviors
• Foreclosures
• Subleasing unit
• Lease ends
• Home Condemned
• Damaging unit

One way to protect yourself from eviction is to know your rights. Download a copy of the Tenants' Rights Handbook here. The handbook, provided by the Texas Young Lawyers Association and the State Bar of Texas, is an excellent tool in fighting eviction and knowing your rights as a tenant according to the State of Texas. Tarrant County Community Development provides non-legal tenant rights information. You can contact Dawn Williams at  (817) 850-7940  or e-mail Dawn at dwilliams3@tarrantcounty.com.

For Case Managers

As the buffer between a landlord or even your agency and the client, case managers play an integral role in Tarrant County retaining their housing and services. TCHC encourages all agencies and case managers to develop an eviction prevention plan with your client. A sample Eviction Prevention Plan is available to download.

In addition, there is a wonderful MS PowerPoint presentation entitled " Eviction Prevention Planning" developed by one of our Board of Directors, Ted A. Lovato (LMSW, CCDS, CART, Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for Tarrant County Samaritan Housing, colloquially known as the Samaritan House). His presentation discusses problem issues and effective ways to resolve evictions and terminations, as well as working toward viable solutions to keep Tarrant County residents housed.

For Landlords

TCHC is always looking to work with landlords and apartment managers in the area. People who have fallen into homelessness present unique challenges when housed, and TCHC is willing to go the extra mile in ensuring what's best for all parties involved. We encourage all landlords to get involved and contact TCHC for information about housing formerly homeless residents. By providing affordable housing to Tarrant and Parker Counties, landlords and apartment managers are critical to preventing and eliminating homelessness in our area.