Estimated values: The U.S. Census suppresses field-level data for small places. Estimated from constituent census tracts, pop-weighted from real underlying ACS data.
Tenant beats landlord
9.3%
/ 100 outcomes
In court-decided eviction outcomes for Batesville, TX, tenants prevail in roughly 9.3% 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
25d
filing → judgment
From the moment an unlawful-detainer notice is filed in Batesville, TX until a money judgment is entered, a contested eviction takes about 25 days on average. Longer timelines mean more lost rent and higher carry costs for landlords.
Cost range
$1.0–3.7k
legal + lost rent
A typical eviction in Batesville, TX costs landlords $999 to $3,717 all-in, covering court filing fees, process-server costs, attorney time, and lost rent during the calendar between filing and possession.
Average rent
$2,125
89% stretched on rent
Average gross rent in Batesville, TX is $2,125 per month per the U.S. Census American Community Survey (5-year 2023). 89% of renter households here spend more than 30% of pre-tax income on rent, the federal cost-burden threshold.
Renters
27.6%
of households
27.6% of occupied housing units in Batesville, 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
54.6%
7.9% unemp.
54.6% of Batesville, TX residents live below the federal poverty line, and unemployment runs at 7.9%. 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 +14.4% (2024)
6.9
Regional political climate
County-weighted neighbor mix
6.9
State political climate
Texas legislature & governorship
1.5
Economic stress
54.6% poverty · 7.9% unemp.
5.4
Supply constraint
$2,125 average · 27.6% renters
5.2
Rent Control risk
89.3% of income on rent
1.0
Eviction process difficulty
25 days filing → judgment
1.2
Tenant organizing strength
27.6% renters
5.2
Housing court bias
County bench composition
1.2
Geographic context
Risk heat across Batesville and the region
Click any city to see its score
How Batesville compares
Risk score vs. peers, county, state, and the U.S.
Rank in Zavala County
Low
#5of 6 cities
#5 of 6 cities in Zavala County for landlord eviction risk.
Rank in Texas
Very Low
#1482of 1,841 cities
#1482 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
/ 10 · VERY LOW
The verdict
A Very low-tier market.
Composite 2/10. 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
25d
Typical timeline
The money
What renting (and evicting) looks like.
Rent published at $2,125/mo. A contested eviction takes 25 days and costs $999–$3,717 per case.
50-yr trendCalendar drag rising since '15
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
27.6%
Renters
The renters
Who you'll be renting to.
Out of 994 residents, 27.6% rent. 89% are spending 30%+ income on rent, 54.6% below the poverty line.
50-yr trendRenter share rising
197620012026
ACS 1970-present · once the migration overlay is in.
6.9
Local + regional
The politics
Mid-range climate. Not a coastal market.
Local & regional political climate score 6.9 and 6.9 (Dem margin +14.4% (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 1.2, housing court bias 1.2, rent-control risk 1. Standard process speed for the state.
50-yr trendProcess difficulty +-3.8 since '00
197620012026
Court-clerk data lands in the next release.
5.4
Economic stress
The stress
Economic pressure is the background risk.
Economic stress: 5.4. Supply constraint: 5.2. The numbers behind those: 54.6% poverty, 7.9% unemployment, 89% of income on rent.
50-yr trendTwo visible dips · '08 + COVID
197620012026
Mirrors BLS unemployment series.
US eviction landscape · timeline × all-in cost
Batesville sits in the quick & cheap quadrant
Bubble size = population · color = risk score
Batesville · 25d · ~$2.4k all-in ($94/day) · score 2National average: 58d · $4.6k all-inHover any bubble for stats · click to openColor: 0–4 4–7 7–10
Landlording in Batesville, Texas, presents a manageable operating environment for documented landlords. The Eviction Risk Score is 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.
Batesville is a city of 994 residents where 27.6% of occupied units are renter-occupied, and the typical renter spends 89.3% of income on rent. At an average rent of $2,125/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 Batesville eviction process actually works
Eviction process difficulty here reads 1.2/10, 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 Batesville closes 25 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 Batesville's timeline is usually the calendar, not the motion practice. Housing court bias scores 1.2/10 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 Batesville runs $999 to $3,717 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 25 days of typical timeline and $2,125/month in lost rent, that crossover happens fast here.
03Operations
Security deposits, screening, and lease terms
Tenant organizing strength scores 5.2/10 in Batesville, 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 Batesville: 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 $3,717 all-in fight is the realistic worst case.
04bPractical traps
Local traps to avoid in Batesville
Trap · TEXAS
For state-level context, see the Texas overview link in the guides section below. The score combines political climate, rent-to-income ratio, court bias, and tenant organizing strength under Property Code Chapter 24.
05FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Q1
Can I evict a tenant in Batesville for a reason other than not paying rent?
Yes. Texas law does not require "just cause" for eviction for periodic tenancies (like month-to-month leases). If your tenant is on a month-to-month lease, you can terminate their tenancy with a 30-day notice without needing a specific reason. For fixed-term leases, you generally need a lease violation (like non-payment, unauthorized pets, or property damage) to evict before the lease term ends. Always check your lease agreement for specific clauses.
Q2
What if my tenant refuses the 3-day notice?
Refusing the notice doesn't invalidate it. The key is proper delivery. If you've delivered the notice according to Texas law (e.g., certified mail, personal delivery, or affixing to the inside of the main entry door), the tenant is considered to have received it, regardless of whether they physically accept it or read it. Document your delivery method carefully.
Q3
Do I need a lawyer for an eviction in Batesville?
You are not legally required to have a lawyer for a Justice Court eviction in Texas. Many landlords handle straightforward non-payment evictions themselves. However, if the tenant hires an attorney, contests the eviction, claims property defects, or you simply want to ensure everything is done correctly, hiring an attorney is highly recommended to protect your interests and avoid costly mistakes.
Q4
What happens if the tenant appeals the eviction judgment?
If a tenant appeals the Justice Court's eviction judgment, the case moves to the County Court at Law. This will significantly extend the timeline and increase costs. The tenant usually has to post a supersedeas bond or an affidavit of inability to pay to appeal without paying rent into the court registry. You will almost certainly need an attorney if the case goes to appeal.
Q5
Can I change the locks if my Batesville tenant stops paying rent?
No, absolutely not. Self-help evictions are illegal in Texas. You cannot change locks, shut off utilities, or remove a tenant's belongings to force them out, even if they're behind on rent. You must follow the legal eviction process through the courts. Doing otherwise can result in significant penalties and damages owed to the tenant.
Q6
What are the rules for returning security deposits in Batesville?
Texas law (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.103) requires you to return a tenant's security deposit within 30 days after they move out and surrender possession of the property. If you withhold any portion, you must provide an itemized list of deductions. Failure to comply can result in the tenant suing you for three times the amount wrongfully withheld, plus attorney fees. For more details, see Texas security deposit rules.
A 2/10 places Batesville in the 20th 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 Batesville (2/10)
Same risk band nationally · click any city for its full breakdown.
