Estimated values: The U.S. Census suppresses field-level data for small places. Estimated from county average, pop-weighted from real underlying ACS data.
Tenant beats landlord
9.8%
/ 100 outcomes
In court-decided eviction outcomes for Alto Bonito Heights, TX, tenants prevail in roughly 9.8% 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
26d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Alto Bonito Heights, TX until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 26 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$0.9–4.0k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Alto Bonito Heights, TX costs landlords $941 to $3,992 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,326
36% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Alto Bonito Heights, TX is $1,326 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 36% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
2.4%
of households
2.4% of occupied housing units in Alto Bonito Heights, 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
75.8%
6.3% unemp.
75.8% of Alto Bonito Heights, TX residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 6.3%. 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 +16.0% (2024)
5.7
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
5.7
State political climate
Texas legislature & governorship
1.5
Economic stress
75.8% poverty · 6.3% unemp.
5.5
Supply constraint
$1,326 average · 2.4% renters
1.0
Rent Control risk
36.2% of income on rent
1.0
Eviction process difficulty
26 days filing → judgment
1.6
Tenant organizing strength
2.4% renters
1.0
Housing court bias
County bench composition
1.0
Geographic context
Risk heat across Alto Bonito Heights and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Alto Bonito Heights compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Starr County
Moderate
#57of 113 cities
#57 of 113 cities in Starr County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Texas
Moderate
#1000of 1,841 cities
#1000 of 1,841 cities in Texas for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
2.2
/ 10 · VERY LOW
The verdict
A Very low-tier market.
Composite 2.2/10. Mid-range market; standard documentation usually wins. The 50-year curve shows a slow, steady climb.
50-yr trend+0.0 over 50 yr
197620012026
Steady ratchet · no large swings
26d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $1,326/mo. A contested eviction takes 26 days and costs $941–$3,992 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
2.4%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 1,121 residents, 2.4% rent. 36% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 75.8% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
5.7
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 5.7 and 5.7 (GOP margin +16.0% (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 1.6, housing court bias 1, rent-control risk 1. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-3.4 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: 1. The numbers behind those: 75.8% poverty, 6.3% unemployment, 36% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Alto Bonito Heights sits in the quick & cheap quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Alto Bonito Heights · 26d · ~$2.5k all-in ($95/day) · score 2.2National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Alto Bonito Heights, Texas, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 2.2/10 (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.
Alto Bonito Heights is a city of 1,121 residents where 2.4% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 36.2% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,326/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 Alto Bonito Heights eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 1.6/10, 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 Alto Bonito Heights closes 26 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 Alto Bonito Heights's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 1/10 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 Alto Bonito Heights runs $941 to $3,992 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 26 days of typical timeline and $1,326/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 1/10 in Alto Bonito Heights, 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 Alto Bonito Heights: 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 $3,992 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Alto Bonito Heights
Trap · 2.2/10
The 2.2/10 score combines local political climate, court bias, cost-of-eviction, tenant organizing strength, and the likelihood of new tenant-protective legislation. See the breakdown above for Alto Bonito Heights-specific sub-scores.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
What's the fastest way to get a non-paying tenant out in Alto Bonito Heights?
Issue a 3-day pay-or-quit notice as soon as legally allowed (usually the day after rent is due if not paid). If they don't pay, file for eviction immediately after the notice period expires. Don't delay. The Texas summary process is designed to be quick, but you have to initiate it promptly.
Q2
Can I just change the locks if a tenant stops paying rent?
Absolutely not. That's an illegal self-help eviction in Texas. You must follow the legal eviction process through the Justice Court. If you change the locks without a Writ of Possession, the tenant can sue you for damages, including triple their daily rent, and you'll still have to go through the eviction process anyway.
Q3
Do I need a lawyer for an eviction in Alto Bonito Heights?
For a straightforward non-payment eviction, many landlords represent themselves in Justice Court. The forms are relatively simple. However, if the tenant hires a lawyer, contests the eviction, or you have any doubts about the process, hiring your own attorney is strongly recommended to protect your interests. See our Starr County eviction guide for more local info.
Q4
What if the tenant leaves property behind after eviction?
Texas law requires you to store the tenant's abandoned property. You must send written notice to the tenant's last known address, giving them a reasonable time (usually 30 days) to reclaim their belongings. If they don't, you can sell or dispose of the property. Keep good records of the items and your attempts to notify the tenant.
Q5
How often can I raise the rent in Alto Bonito Heights?
Texas has no statewide rent control, meaning you can raise the rent as often as you like, provided you give proper notice. If it's a month-to-month lease, you typically need to give 30 days' notice before the next rent due date. For a fixed-term lease, you can only raise the rent upon renewal of the lease. For more, consult our Texas rent control rules.
A 2.2/10 places Alto Bonito Heights in the 46th 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 Alto Bonito Heights (2.2/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
