In court-decided eviction outcomes for Laredo, TX, tenants prevail in roughly 14.0% 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 Laredo, 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
$1.0–3.9k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Laredo, TX costs landlords $978 to $3,920 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$1,030
32% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Laredo, TX is $1,030 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 32% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
35.9%
of households
35.9% of occupied housing units in Laredo, 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
20.8%
5.5% unemp.
20.8% of Laredo, 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 +2.2% (2024)
5.5
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
5.0
State political climate
Texas legislature & governorship
2.0
Economic stress
20.8% poverty · 5.5% unemp.
7.5
Supply constraint
$1,030 average · 35.9% renters
3.5
Rent Control risk
32.2% of income on rent
1.0
Eviction process difficulty
23 days filing → judgment
4.0
Tenant organizing strength
35.9% renters
4.0
Housing court bias
County bench composition
3.5
Geographic context
Risk heat across Laredo and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Laredo compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Webb County
High
#5of 39 cities
#5 of 39 cities in Webb County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Texas
High
#306of 1,841 cities
#306 of 1,841 cities in Texas for landlord eviction risk.
vs. county · state · U.S.
Score story
Six-stop tour of the risk profile
4.9
/ 10 · MODERATE
The verdict
A Moderate-tier market.
Composite 4.9/10. 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 $1,030/mo. A contested eviction takes 23 days and costs $978–$3,920 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
35.9%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 257,619 residents, 35.9% rent. 32% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 20.8% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
5.3
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 5.5 and 5 (GOP margin +2.2% (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 4, housing court bias 3.5, rent-control risk 1. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-1.0 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
7.5
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 7.5. Supply constraint: 3.5. The numbers behind those: 20.8% poverty, 5.5% unemployment, 32% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Laredo sits in the quick & cheap quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Laredo · 23d · ~$2.4k all-in ($106/day) · score 4.9National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Laredo, Texas, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 4.9/10 (MODERATE 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.
Laredo is a city of 257,619 residents where 35.9% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 5.7% of income on rent. At an average rent of $1,030/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 Laredo eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 4/10, 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 Laredo 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 Laredo's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 3.5/10 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 Laredo runs $978 to $3,920 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 $1,030/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 4/10 in Laredo, 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 Laredo: 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 MODERATE 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 $3,920 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Laredo
Trap · TEXAS RIOGRANDE LEGAL AID
The Webb County JP courts process eviction cases on the standard Texas calendar. The bilingual court culture and the prevalence of family-guarantor arrangements in the local rental market produce somewhat lower contested-case rates than peer Texas metros. Texas RioGrande Legal Aid staffs Laredo defense.
Trap · PRACTICAL TRAP
State context: the same Texas preemption framework applies. The maquiladora-economy employment cycle (cross-border manufacturing in Nuevo Laredo and the broader Mexican border zone) affects rental demand on a different cycle than the broader Texas economy. Operators acquiring Laredo inventory typically run lower-rent, higher-yield strategies than would work in the bigger Texas metros.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant in Laredo without going to court?
No. You must go through the formal eviction process in Justice Court to legally remove a tenant in Laredo. Self-help evictions (like changing locks or turning off utilities) are illegal and can lead to severe penalties.
Q2
What if my tenant pays after the 3-day notice but before I file in court?
If they pay the full amount due, you generally cannot proceed with the eviction for non-payment. If you accept a partial payment, it's best to have a clear, written agreement stating that the eviction process will continue unless the full amount is paid by a specific date. Otherwise, accepting partial payment can waive your right to evict for that specific missed rent.
Q3
How long does a tenant have to appeal an eviction judgment in Laredo?
In Texas, a tenant generally has five days after the Justice Court judgment to file an appeal to the County Court at Law. This will delay the process and require you to potentially go through another court hearing.
Q4
Can I charge a late fee in Laredo?
Yes, you can charge late fees in Laredo, but they must be reasonable and clearly outlined in your lease agreement. Texas law does not specify a maximum late fee amount, but courts generally consider fees between 10-12% of the monthly rent to be reasonable for residential properties.
A 4.9/10 places Laredo in the 84th 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 Laredo (12 with eviction-risk data)
Click a neighborhood to see its pop-weighted score, constituent census tracts, and demographics. Sorted by population.
