In court-decided eviction outcomes for Mustang Ridge, TX, tenants prevail in roughly 9.4% of contested cases. A higher number means landlords face stronger tenant defenses, longer calendars, and more required documentation, and landlord-friendliness drops as this rises.
Timeline
28d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Mustang Ridge, TX until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 28 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$0.9–3.6k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Mustang Ridge, TX costs landlords $869 to $3,606 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,368
22% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Mustang Ridge, TX is $1,368 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 22% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
10.1%
of households
10.1% of occupied housing units in Mustang Ridge, TX are renter-occupied (vs owner-occupied). A higher renter share usually correlates with more eviction filings, more turnover, and a more active rental market.
Poverty
10.3%
5.0% unemp.
10.3% of Mustang Ridge, TX residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 5.0%. Both feed into the economic-stress sub-score in our Eviction Risk Score model because rent payment problems track poverty + joblessness more reliably than any other single signal.
Time machine
Scrub 50 years
197619861996200620162026
2026
● LIVE · today◀ REPLAY · historical
Nine-axis profile
9-axis profile · today
Shape of the risk surface
1 landlord · 10 tenant
Sub-scores · with sparkline
Where the score comes from
1 → 10 scale
Local political climate
GOP margin +18.4% (2024)
7.5
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
7.5
State political climate
Texas legislature & governorship
1.5
Economic stress
10.3% poverty · 5.0% unemp.
6.0
Supply constraint
$1,368 average · 10.1% renters
5.2
Rent Control risk
22.3% of income on rent
1.3
Eviction process difficulty
28 days filing → judgment
1.9
Tenant organizing strength
10.1% renters
2.8
Housing court bias
County bench composition
3.3
Geographic context
Risk heat across Mustang Ridge and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Mustang Ridge compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Bastrop County
Elevated
#5of 12 cities
#5 of 12 cities in Bastrop County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Texas
Moderate
#907of 1,841 cities
#907 of 1,841 cities in Texas for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
2.3
/ 10 · VERY LOW
The verdict
A Very low-tier market.
Composite 2.3/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend+0.1 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
28d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,368/mo. A contested eviction takes 28 days and costs $869–$3,606 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
10.1%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 1,750 residents, 10.1% rent. 22% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 10.3% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
7.5
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 7.5 and 7.5 (GOP margin +18.4% (2024)). State climate at 1.5, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
1.5
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 1.5/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 1.9, housing court bias 3.3, rent-control risk 1.3. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-3.1 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
6
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 6. Supply constraint: 5.2. The numbers behind those: 10.3% poverty, 5.0% unemployment, 22% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Mustang Ridge sits in the quick & cheap quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Mustang Ridge · 28d · ~$2.2k all-in ($80/day) · score 2.3National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Mustang Ridge, Texas, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 2.3/10 (VERY LOW tier), drawn from the nine sub-axes shown above, covering rent-control exposure, eviction-process difficulty, housing-court bias, tenant-organizing strength, supply constraint, economic stress, and local, regional, and state political climate. This is not a quick-fix market: it's a Mid-tier market where lease drafting, screening discipline, and well-documented notices materially change outcomes.
Mustang Ridge is a city of 1,750 residents where 10.1% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 22.3% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,368/month, the typical renter household here spends more than the federal 30% threshold on housing, a leading indicator of payment volatility and a precondition for the kinds of tenant defenses that show up most often in housing court.
01Process
How Mustang Ridge eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 1.9/10, a number that combines statutory complexity (notice categories, just-cause rules, mandatory pre-filing disclosures) with operational realities (court calendar length and clerk responsiveness). The typical contested filing in Mustang Ridge closes 28 days after the initial notice. For non-payment of rent the first step is a properly-formatted, properly-served pay-or-quit notice; for material lease breaches it's a cure-or-quit; for tenancies under just-cause protection an at-fault grounds notice (or a no-fault notice with statutory relocation assistance) is required.
The slow part of Mustang Ridge's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 3.3/10 here, meaning judges read borderline procedural defects in the tenant's favor more often than the national norm. The practical implication: every notice and every proof of service needs to be airtight before it gets filed.
02Cost
What it costs (and how long it takes)
An all-in eviction in Mustang Ridge runs $869 to $3,606 per case once you account for filing fees, attorney time, lost rent during pendency, sheriff lockout, and unit turnover. That range is wide because the upper bound assumes a tenant answer plus motion practice, common when housing court bias is high. The lower bound assumes a default judgment after proper service.
For landlords running the numbers on holding costs vs. cash-for-keys: if your projected timeline times your monthly rent already exceeds the high-end cost number, cash-for-keys at 1–2 months' rent is typically the economically rational choice. With 28 days of typical timeline and $1,368/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 2.8/10 in Mustang Ridge, and the city has limited rent control exposure (1.3/10). Operations practice that survives audit in this environment looks like:
Screening discipline. Document income (verified at 2.5 to 3x rent), credit (with a clear minimum), and prior-tenancy reference checks, but do not screen on protected categories or source-of-income where banned. Keep a written, consistent screening criteria document for every applicant.
Lease specificity. Use a state-specific lease that names every term clearly: rent due date, late fees within statutory caps, deposit handling, smoke and CO disclosure, lead paint disclosure (pre-1978 stock), and a clean attorney's-fees clause.
Security deposit handling. Itemize deductions within the statutory window. Photograph move-in/move-out condition. In Texas, deposit cap and refund window are statute, so exceed them at your own risk.
Mid-tenancy documentation. Keep date-stamped records of every rent receipt, every habitability request, every notice served. The day you need them in court is too late to start.
04Strategy
What an everyday landlord should actually do here
If you own one to four units in Mustang Ridge: hire a property manager who knows the local court. The pricing differential between self-managing and hiring out is small relative to the cost of one botched eviction in a VERY LOW tier market. If you own five or more: build relationships with a local landlord-side attorney before you need one, since retainer fees are negligible compared to emergency-rate billing when an eviction is already moving.
The avoidable mistakes here are all upstream of the filing: weak screening, an informal lease, sloppy rent receipts, and notice templates pulled off the internet that don't match Texas's statutory language. Fix those four, and most cases settle or default. Skip them, and a $3,606 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Mustang Ridge
Trap · 45.0 POINTS
Politically, Travis County voted Democratic by 45.0 points in 2020, a baseline that correlates with tenant-protective legislative pressure. Combined with 22.3% rent-to-income ratio, expect baseline enforcement of Property Code Chapter 24.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant in Mustang Ridge without a reason?
Texas does not have statewide "just-cause" eviction requirements. If a tenant's lease term is ending, you can typically choose not to renew their lease by providing a 30-day notice, assuming your lease doesn't specify a longer period. For month-to-month tenancies, a 30-day notice is generally sufficient to terminate the tenancy without cause. However, you cannot evict in retaliation or for discriminatory reasons.
Q2
How long do I have to return a security deposit in Mustang Ridge?
Under Texas law, you have 30 days after the tenant moves out and returns possession of the property to you to either return the full security deposit or provide an itemized list of deductions. Failing to do this within the deadline can result in penalties, including paying the tenant three times the amount of the deposit wrongfully withheld, plus their attorney fees. Document all damages and cleaning costs thoroughly.
Q3
Can I turn off utilities to force a tenant out in Mustang Ridge?
Absolutely not. Turning off a tenant's utilities (water, electricity, gas) is considered a "self-help" eviction and is illegal in Texas. This can lead to significant penalties, including fines and damages owed to the tenant. All evictions must go through the proper legal channels in the Justice Court.
Q4
What if the tenant leaves personal property behind after an eviction?
After a legal eviction and lockout by the constable, you have obligations regarding a tenant's abandoned property. You must store the property for a reasonable amount of time (typically 30-60 days is considered reasonable, though not explicitly stated by statute for evictions, it's a good guideline). You should attempt to notify the tenant of where they can retrieve their belongings. If they don't claim it, you can dispose of it, usually by selling it and applying the proceeds to any outstanding debts, or donating it. Consult legal counsel for specific guidance on abandoned property.
Q5
Do I need a lawyer to evict a tenant in Mustang Ridge?
While you are not legally required to have an attorney for an eviction case in Texas Justice Court, it is highly recommended, especially if the case is complex or if you are unfamiliar with the process. A lawyer can ensure all notices are correct, paperwork is properly filed, and you avoid costly procedural errors. Given the typical eviction timeline of 28 days and costs up to $3,606, avoiding mistakes by having legal guidance can save you money and time in the long run. See our Texas tenant protections guide for more details on pitfalls.
A 2.3/10 places Mustang Ridge in the 58th percentile of Texas cities on the Eviction Risk Score index. The score is the average of the nine sub-axes, all calibrated on a national 1 to 10 scale where 1 is most landlord-friendly and 10 is most tenant-protective. The 50-year reconstruction shows this score has climbed steadily since 1976, a structural drift driven by court-calendar growth, rent-control adoption, and the rise of tenant-side legal aid. The trajectory matters more than the snapshot: the score is the climate, not the weather.
Cities with similar eviction risk to Mustang Ridge (2.3/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
