In court-decided eviction outcomes for Garland, TX, tenants prevail in roughly 9.0% 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
23d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Garland, TX until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 23 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$0.9–3.7k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Garland, TX costs landlords $850 to $3,678 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,641
34% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Garland, TX is $1,641 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 34% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
38.4%
of households
38.4% of occupied housing units in Garland, 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
12.3%
4.9% unemp.
12.3% of Garland, TX residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 4.9%. 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
Dem margin +22.2% (2024)
4.5
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
3.5
State political climate
Texas legislature & governorship
2.0
Economic stress
12.3% poverty · 4.9% unemp.
5.5
Supply constraint
$1,641 average · 38.4% renters
3.5
Rent Control risk
33.7% of income on rent
1.0
Eviction process difficulty
23 days filing → judgment
3.0
Tenant organizing strength
38.4% renters
2.5
Housing court bias
County bench composition
2.5
Geographic context
Risk heat across Garland and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Garland compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Dallas County
Elevated
#11of 24 cities
#11 of 24 cities in Dallas County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Texas
Elevated
#482of 1,841 cities
#482 of 1,841 cities in Texas for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
2.5
/ 10 · LOW
The verdict
A Low-tier market.
Composite 2.5/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend+0.2 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
23d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,641/mo. A contested eviction takes 23 days and costs $850–$3,678 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
38.4%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 246,844 residents, 38.4% rent. 34% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 12.3% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
4
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 4.5 and 3.5 (Dem margin +22.2% (2024)). State climate at 2, a mid-range statehouse.
50-yr trendTracks county vote margin
197620012026
Built on 50-yr presidential margins back to 1976.
2
State politics
The process
Moderate calendar, moderate friction.
State political climate 2/10 sets the legislative ceiling for landlord remedies, and it shows up in the process. Eviction process difficulty reads 3, housing court bias 2.5, rent-control risk 1. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-2.0 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
5.5
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 5.5. Supply constraint: 3.5. The numbers behind those: 12.3% poverty, 4.9% unemployment, 34% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Garland sits in the quick & cheap quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Garland · 23d · ~$2.3k all-in ($98/day) · score 2.5National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Garland, Texas, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 2.5/10 (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.
Garland is a city of 246,844 residents where 38.4% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 33.7% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,641/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 Garland eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 3/10, 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 Garland closes 23 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 Garland's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 2.5/10 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 Garland runs $850 to $3,678 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 23 days of typical timeline and $1,641/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 2.5/10 in Garland, and the city has limited rent control exposure (1/10). 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 Garland: 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 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 $3,678 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Garland
Trap · LONE STAR LEGAL AID
The Dallas County JP courts serving Garland run the standard DFW eviction calendar. Default-judgment frequency is high on uncontested cases. The contested-case rate runs moderately. Lone Star Legal Aid staffs Dallas County eviction defense at limited capacity given the volume.
Trap · LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE 214.902
State context: same Texas framework applies. Local Government Code 214.902 preempts rent control. Garland has not enacted any local tenant-protection legislation; operators work entirely within state default. The Dallas County 2023 JP mediation pilot has not been fully extended to the Garland precincts as of mid-2025.
04Eviction filings
Live filings tracking · Eviction Lab
Princeton Eviction Lab Tracking System, county-level. Last update 2026-05-01.
In the most recent month, 3,498 eviction cases were filed across the tracker's coverage area, 0.93× the historical baseline (below baseline). Past 12 months: 47,728 filings. Pandemic-era cumulative: 242,528.
3,498Past month
47,728Past 12 months
0.93×vs baseline (past mo)
25.2%Repeat-tenant filings
Notice requirement: at least three days notice (in some cases more). Filing fee: $134 filing fee.
Last 36 months of filings2023-05-01 – 2026-04-01
Filings dropped 13% over the past 12 months.
Source: Eviction Lab Tracking System, Princeton University. Open Data Commons Attribution license.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What's the biggest mistake landlords make in Garland evictions?
The biggest mistake is usually improper notice delivery or accepting partial rent payments after issuing a notice. Both can invalidate your eviction process, forcing you to start over. Follow the rules to the letter.
Q2
Can I evict a tenant for any reason in Garland?
Texas is generally a landlord-friendly state without statewide just-cause eviction rules. For month-to-month leases, you can typically terminate with a 30-day notice without needing a specific "reason." For fixed-term leases, you need a breach of the lease (like non-payment) to evict.
Q3
How long does it take for the sheriff to remove a tenant after I win in court?
Once you receive a Writ of Possession, the constable or sheriff typically serves it within a few days, giving the tenant 24-48 hours to vacate before physical removal. The entire process from filing to lockout averages around 23 days.
Q4
Do I need an attorney for an eviction in Garland?
For straightforward non-payment cases, many landlords handle it themselves in Justice Court. However, if the tenant contests the eviction, brings up counterclaims, or appeals, hiring an attorney is highly recommended. It saves time and prevents costly mistakes.
Q5
Is there rent control in Garland?
No, Texas state law prohibits rent control. This means landlords in Garland are generally free to set market rates for rent. For more information, see our Texas rent control rules.
Q6
What if my tenant abandons the property?
If you reasonably believe the tenant has abandoned the property (e.g., removed all belongings, stopped paying rent, no response to communication), you can regain possession. However, follow specific Texas Property Code rules to avoid claims of illegal lockout. It's often safer to proceed with a formal eviction if there's any doubt.
A 2.5/10 places Garland in the 76th 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.
Neighborhoods in Garland (1 with eviction-risk data)
Click a neighborhood to see its pop-weighted score, constituent census tracts, and demographics. Sorted by population.
