Where Can I Get Rent Assistance or Eviction Help in Texas?
This page lists statewide places that help Texas renters. It covers free legal aid, lawyer referral, complaint lines, rent and utility help, and court self-help. Each entry says what the group does, who qualifies, and how to reach it. Your city's guide may list more local help.
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TexasLawHelp.org gives free legal information, self-help guides, and court forms for Texas renters. It has a live chat with legal staff Monday to Thursday, 10 AM to 2 PM. Anyone can use the site. It also has a directory to find your local legal aid office. Website: texaslawhelp.org.
✓ Details checked September 14, 2026
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Texas Legal Services Center (TLSC) is a statewide nonprofit law office. It gives free legal advice and representation on housing, eviction, debt, and other civil problems. You must meet income limits. Apply online through TexasLawHelp.org, or call the eviction help line at 855-270-7655.
✓ Details checked September 14, 2026
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Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas is the free legal aid office for 114 counties in North and West Texas. Its area includes Dallas, Fort Worth, Lubbock, and Midland. It helps low-income renters with eviction, housing conditions, and landlord disputes. Call the Legal Aid Line at 888-529-5277. For landlord-tenant problems call 855-548-8457.
✓ Details checked September 14, 2026
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Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) is the free legal aid office for 68 counties in central and southwest Texas. Its area includes Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, Corpus Christi, and the Rio Grande Valley. It helps low-income renters with eviction and housing problems. Call 956-996-8752 to apply, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. Staff speak Spanish.
✓ Details checked September 14, 2026
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Lone Star Legal Aid is the free legal aid office for Houston, East Texas, and the Gulf Coast. Its area includes Harris, Fort Bend, Galveston, Montgomery, and McLennan counties. It has an eviction defense unit and a fair housing unit. You must meet income and legal status rules. Apply online at lonestarlegal.org or call toll free 800-733-8394.
✓ Details checked September 14, 2026
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State Bar of Texas Lawyer Referral and Information Service connects you with a private lawyer if you do not qualify for free legal aid. The first meeting lasts up to 30 minutes and costs no more than $20. After that you pay the lawyer's normal fee. Call 800-252-9690, Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Staff speak Spanish. Bexar, Dallas, Harris, Jefferson, Tarrant, and Travis counties have their own referral services instead.
✓ Details checked September 14, 2026
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Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division takes housing discrimination complaints for the whole state. Discrimination means a landlord treats you worse because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, family status (children), or disability. You must file within 1 year of the discrimination. File online or by mail, or call 800-628-5115. You cannot file the same complaint with both TWC and HUD.
✓ Details checked September 12, 2026
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Texas Attorney General Consumer Protection Division publishes a plain-language Renter's Rights page on repairs, security deposits, and utility shutoffs. If your landlord will not return your deposit, you can file a consumer complaint with this office online. The office does not represent you in court. Website: texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection.
✓ Details checked September 14, 2026
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Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) runs the Help for Texans search tool. It also runs the Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP), the state's federal utility bill help program. TDHCA does not take applications from individuals. Enter your city or county at tdhca.texas.gov/help-for-texans. You get a list of local agencies that handle rent help, utility bill help, or emergency and homeless services. CEAP helps low-income households pay energy bills through local agencies in all 254 counties.
✓ Details checked September 14, 2026
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2-1-1 Texas is the state's free information line, run by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Call to find local rent help, utility help, food, shelter, and health services near you. Anyone can call. Dial 2-1-1 or 877-541-7905, or chat online in English or Spanish at 211texas.org.
✓ Details checked September 14, 2026
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Texas Justice Court Training Center posts free self-help packets and forms for people without a lawyer in justice court. Justice court is the court that hears evictions and repair cases. Packets cover answering an eviction case and filing a repair case to make your landlord fix the home. The center cannot give legal advice. Website: tjctc.org/SRL.html. Phone: 800-687-8528.
✓ Details checked September 14, 2026
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HUD-approved housing counseling agencies give free or low-cost advice on renting, rent help, eviction, and fair housing. Anyone can use them. Search by zip code or pick Texas on the HUD site at hud.gov/findacounselor. For disaster-related counseling call HUD at 800-569-4287.
✓ Details checked September 12, 2026
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Public Utility Commission of Texas takes complaints about electric, telephone, water, and sewer companies, including wrongful shutoffs and billing. Contact your utility company first. If that does not fix it, file an informal complaint online or call 888-782-8477. The company must respond to the PUC within 15 days. The PUC does not regulate landlords who resell utilities; for that, use legal aid or the justice court.
✓ Details checked September 12, 2026
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Disability Rights Texas gives free legal help to Texans with disabilities who face disability discrimination in housing, such as a landlord refusing a reasonable accommodation. It does not handle emergency eviction cases; for those, call your local legal aid. Call the statewide intake line at 800-252-9108, Monday to Thursday, 10 AM to noon and 1 PM to 3 PM. Deaf callers can use video phone 866-362-2851.
✓ Details checked September 14, 2026
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