Real County, Texas Eviction Risk: Low

Real County sits in the rugged Texas Hill Country along the Nueces River canyon, with a total population of roughly 1,751 residents spread across three small communities: Camp Wood (3.2/10), Leakey (3.2/10), and Barksdale (3.2/10). The county carries an overall eviction risk score of 3.2/10 (Low), placing it 227th of 254 Texas eviction laws counties - a lower-risk position that puts Real County firmly among the state's least contentious rental environments. With 232 of Texas's 254 counties registering higher risk scores, landlords here face fewer of the legal and regulatory pressures found in the state's urban cores.

The rental market here is thin by any measure. Only about 16.9% of households rent, which translates to a small renter base concentrated mostly in Camp Wood, the county seat, and Leakey to the south. Average asking rent runs around $868 per month - well below the Texas statewide average - and rent burden sits at 14.6%, meaning the typical Real County renter spends a relatively modest share of income on housing. That said, the county's poverty rate of 20.9% is elevated for a community of this size, and it shows up in the economic fragility that can make even a modest rent shortfall escalate quickly to a notice situation. The score spread within the county runs from 3.2 to 3.2, reflecting the modest variation between Camp Wood's lower-risk profile and Barksdale's marginally higher one - differences that are real but narrow in absolute terms.

Eviction law in Real County follows the Texas statewide framework under Tex. Prop. Code § 91 and § 92. All notice periods - whether for nonpayment, lease violation, or end of term - are set at 3 days under Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005. There is no just-cause-for-eviction requirement, no local rent control (Texas law at TX Local Gov Code § 214.902 explicitly preempts any municipality from enacting it), and no source-of-income protection. Court filing fees run $54 to $125 at the justice court level, with uncontested proceedings typically wrapping in 21 to 30 days and contested cases stretching to 45 to 90 days. Sheriff lockout fees range from $50 to $175 once a writ of possession is issued. The practical result: Real County remains one of the procedurally cleaner rural markets in Texas for property owners who need to act on a nonpaying tenant.

Real County's Low score of 3.2/10 reflects a combination of low renter density, below-average rent burden, a straightforward 3-day notice regime under state law, and the absence of any local tenant-protection ordinances - characteristics common across remote Hill Country counties where the rental market is small and informally managed.