In court-decided eviction outcomes for The Homesteads, TX, tenants prevail in roughly 8.2% 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
27d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in The Homesteads, TX until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 27 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$1.1–3.8k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in The Homesteads, TX costs landlords $1,088 to $3,796 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,708
14% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in The Homesteads, TX is $1,708 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 14% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
24.3%
of households
24.3% of occupied housing units in The Homesteads, 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
29.8%
5.5% unemp.
29.8% of The Homesteads, TX residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 5.5%. 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 +51.4% (2024)
3.1
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
3.1
State political climate
Texas legislature & governorship
1.5
Economic stress
29.8% poverty · 5.5% unemp.
8.1
Supply constraint
$1,708 average · 24.3% renters
5.8
Rent Control risk
14.4% of income on rent
1.2
Eviction process difficulty
27 days filing → judgment
1.3
Tenant organizing strength
24.3% renters
4.8
Housing court bias
County bench composition
5.2
Geographic context
Risk heat across The Homesteads and the region
Click any city to see its score
How The Homesteads compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Johnson County
Moderate
#7of 14 cities
#7 of 14 cities in Johnson County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Texas
Moderate
#976of 1,841 cities
#976 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+0.3 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
27d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,708/mo. A contested eviction takes 27 days and costs $1,088–$3,796 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
24.3%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 3,053 residents, 24.3% rent. 14% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 29.8% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
3.1
Local + regional
The politics
Light-statute interior market.
Local & regional political climate score 3.1 and 3.1 (GOP margin +51.4% (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 1.3, housing court bias 5.2, rent-control risk 1.2. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-3.7 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
8.1
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the real risk.
Economic stress: 8.1. Supply constraint: 5.8. The numbers behind those: 29.8% poverty, 5.5% unemployment, 14% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
The Homesteads sits in the quick & cheap quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
The Homesteads · 27d · ~$2.4k all-in ($90/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 The Homesteads, 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.
The Homesteads is a city of 3,053 residents where 24.3% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 14.4% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,708/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 The Homesteads eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 1.3/10, 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 The Homesteads closes 27 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 The Homesteads's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 5.2/10 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 The Homesteads runs $1,088 to $3,796 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 27 days of typical timeline and $1,708/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 4.8/10 in The Homesteads, and the city has limited rent control exposure (1.2/10). 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 The Homesteads: 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 $3,796 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in The Homesteads
Trap · 24.3%
24.3% renter share against 3,053 residents produces roughly 742 rental occupants in The Homesteads. Johnson County voted R 53.0% in 2020. Eviction filings tend to cluster in the multifamily rental corridor.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant for not paying utilities in The Homesteads?
Generally, non-payment of utilities is not a direct ground for eviction in Texas unless your lease explicitly states that utility payments are considered "additional rent" or that failure to pay utilities constitutes a lease violation. If it's a lease violation, you'd typically issue a notice to cure the breach, similar to other non-rent violations, before proceeding with an eviction.
Q2
How long does a tenant have to move out after an eviction judgment in Texas?
After a Justice Court judge rules in your favor, the tenant typically has five days to move out or appeal the decision. If they do neither, you can then request a Writ of Possession, which authorizes the constable to remove the tenant and their belongings. This is usually executed within a few days of being issued.
Q3
Are there any tenant protections specific to Johnson County I need to know about?
While Texas has statewide landlord-tenant laws, Johnson County itself does not typically add significant additional tenant protections beyond state statutes. Most local ordinances in smaller Texas counties focus on things like building codes or nuisance rules, not broad tenant rights. Always check the county and city websites, but it's rare to find extensive local tenant protections in areas like The Homesteads.
Q4
Can I turn off utilities if my tenant stops paying rent?
Absolutely not. Under Texas tenant protections, it is illegal for a landlord to cut off utilities (like electricity, gas, or water) as a means of forcing a tenant out, even if they are behind on rent. This is considered a "self-help" eviction and can result in significant penalties for the landlord. You must follow the legal eviction process.
Q5
What if the tenant leaves personal property after an eviction?
If a tenant leaves personal property after an eviction, Texas law requires you to store it for a certain period (usually 30 days) and notify the tenant. If the tenant doesn't claim it, you can dispose of it or sell it. You cannot simply throw it out immediately. Document the items and attempts to contact the tenant.
A 2.3/10 places The Homesteads 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 The Homesteads (2.3/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
