Tarrant County · Population 71,436 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 estimate)

Second Chance Apartments in North Richland Hills, Loop 820 and City Point

City Point is the newest area renters ask us about, and it's usually the strictest. Many older buildings along 820 are in the same Birdville ISD and are far more willing to talk. We send you to the new construction only when your record, or a guarantor, fits its criteria.

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Licensed

Texas Real Estate Commission

Brokerage

Spirit Real Estate Group, TREC #562021

Cost to you

$0, free to renters

Response

Weekday check-ins, usually by text

Why the last application failed

Two Approval Paths, and the Wrong One Costs You a Fee

Two school districts cover North Richland Hills (Birdville and Keller), and TEXRail stops twice, at Iron Horse and Smithfield. Screening splits the same way: older, locally managed buildings along Loop 820 and Grapevine Highway, and newer buildings around City Point on corporate criteria.

Two routes means two ways to waste a fee

Applying at City Point with a barrier that needed a human costs a fee and gets a no. So does applying at an older Grapevine Highway building with a barrier that needed a program.

Birdville or Keller ISD isn’t a guess you can make

Birdville covers most of the city and Keller covers a smaller northwest section, and the line doesn't follow neighborhoods neatly. Check the attendance zone for the exact address.

Rail access keeps demand steady

Buildings near the Iron Horse and Smithfield stations tend to stay in demand, and a full building has less reason to bend on a threshold.

Why picking the wrong path costs a fee

This city has two kinds of screening a few minutes apart. We match your barrier to the right one at intake, so you don't find out at the leasing desk.

At a glance

NRH at a glance: two school districts and two TEXRail stops

Population & county

71,436

Tarrant County (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 estimate)

School districts

Birdville ISD
Keller ISD

Major employers

Medical City North Hills

Commute & transit

Loop 820 SH-26 (Grapevine Highway) Davis Boulevard (FM 1938) TEXRail Iron Horse station TEXRail Smithfield station

Rent snapshot

The older Loop 820 stock usually prices at or below the Fort Worth average, and the newer City Point buildings sit above it.

Why this market is different

Inside the NRH Rental Market

Match the route to the barrier, not the budget

Each route fits a different kind of problem. Pick the wrong one and you pay for it in application fees.

The older, locally managed stock along Loop 820 and the Grapevine Highway (SH-26) frontage is the better route when your barrier needs a person to read it. Think a dismissed eviction, a lease broken during a divorce or a military move, or a one-time problem you can document. Many of these buildings don't run RealPage or Yardi, so the manager who decides reads your background directly.

The newer buildings near City Point, on corporate criteria, are the better route when your barrier is a number. A low credit score or income under 3x gets solved with a tool: a lease guarantee through TheGuarantors or OneApp Guarantee, a deposit alternative through Jetty or LeaseLock, or a co-applicant. Many corporate operators accept those tools, and we keep tabs on which ones do as policies change. We sort you into the right lane at intake.

Older buildings and City Point, minutes apart

Much of the rental stock is older and managed locally or by smaller regional companies, mostly along Loop 820 and the Grapevine Highway frontage. That's where a person still makes the call, and where a letter of explanation attached to an application actually gets read.

City Point, built on the old North Hills Mall site, brought newer buildings into the same city. Big operators manage them and screen through software like RealPage or Yardi. Many of those operators accept a lease guarantee through TheGuarantors or OneApp Guarantee. When a conditional approval doubles the deposit, Jetty or LeaseLock deposit alternatives can lower the cash due at signing. HomeTown NRH and the streets around Iron Horse sit in between. They're close to NRH2O Family Water Park and Iron Horse Golf Course, and priced to match.

All of it is a short drive from the same jobs. TEXRail stops at Iron Horse and Smithfield stations with direct trips to downtown Fort Worth and DFW Airport. Both Birdville ISD and Keller ISD boundaries run through the city. With both approval routes in one city, a search here starts with a question about your record rather than your budget.

About property criteria here

Our database has criteria for both the older Loop 820 buildings and the City Point properties, and we update it every day as we talk with leasing agents and property managers. Criteria change, and approval is always the community's call. There's no fixed list of community names here, since an old list just costs you application fees. Tell us your situation and we'll send the North Richland Hills communities whose criteria fit your file, with lookback, balance, income and program details for each. See how the search works.

Before you apply: Apartments That Accept Evictions

Guide

How Long Does an Eviction Stay on Your Record in Texas?

Texas court filings are public from day one and never expire. Screening bureaus usually stop reporting after seven years. Both matter, in different ways.

Guide

How to Write an Eviction Letter of Explanation Property Managers Accept

Dates, how the case ended, what changed since, and how stable you are now: what the letter needs, what to attach, and what to leave out.

Coverage

Where we search in North Richland Hills

North Richland Hills gives you two routes inside one city. Older stock lines Loop 820 and Grapevine Highway. Much of it is managed locally, where the person at the desk can make a real call. City Point, on the old mall site, brings newer buildings on corporate criteria. And the two TEXRail stops, Iron Horse and Smithfield, sit right in town. We search both routes and match your barrier to the right one before you apply.

Neighborhoods and districts

HomeTown NRH Iron Horse Smithfield City Point Loop 820 corridor Davis Boulevard corridor Mid-Cities Boulevard corridor

Searching a different part of the county? Our service area pages cover the rest of Tarrant County.

Landmarks renters know

City Point (former North Hills Mall site)
HomeTown NRH
NRH2O Family Water Park
Iron Horse Golf Course
Medical City North Hills
North East Mall (neighboring Hurst)

Getting around

Loop 820 runs across the south end of the city, and SH-26 runs northeast toward Grapevine. Two TEXRail stations sit inside the city limits: Iron Horse just north of Loop 820 and Smithfield off Mid-Cities Boulevard. That puts downtown Fort Worth and DFW Airport on a train instead of a drive. If you're searching without a reliable car, that narrows the map in a good way.

Open the North Richland Hills, Texas map in Google Maps

North Richland Hills Renter Questions

How is an older Loop 820 building different from City Point?

At many older buildings along Loop 820 and Grapevine Highway, the person at the leasing desk can look past a pass or fail score. A documented reason for a broken lease, or proof that a filing was dismissed, can change their answer. The property still decides. At City Point, that same letter usually goes to software that can't weigh it.

Which route should I try first with an eviction filing?

Start with the older Loop 820 buildings if your case was dismissed, settled or agreed. Automated screening reads the filing, not the outcome, but a local manager can read both. For a recent filing that no lookback window has cleared yet, a guarantor at City Point is often faster. We look at both for your file before recommending one.

Are the newer City Point buildings realistic with bad credit?

Often, yes. The criteria at City Point don't bend, but many of the operators there accept lease guarantees through TheGuarantors or OneApp Guarantee, which cover the gap when your score falls short. The premium is about one month's rent, paid once, and the program screens you too.

Does living near a TEXRail station change my application?

Not the screening itself, but it changes what a lower rent can buy you. The Iron Horse and Smithfield stations reach downtown Fort Worth and DFW Airport directly, so a cheaper unit near either one can beat a pricier unit with a driving commute. Tell us at intake if you might not have a car and we'll weight the search around the two stations.

Do you cover both the Birdville and Keller ISD boundaries?

Yes. Birdville ISD serves most of North Richland Hills and Keller ISD serves a smaller northwest section. District lines don't follow the city limits neatly. If a specific school boundary matters to you, say so at intake and we'll build the list around the district rather than the city.

What does it cost to move into an apartment in North Richland Hills?

Total cash at signing depends on the property and the approval path. For the older locally managed stock along Loop 820, expect a standard deposit plus application and admin fees. For the newer buildings near City Point with a lease guarantee, add a premium of about one month's rent, paid once, through TheGuarantors or OneApp Guarantee. If approval comes with a doubled deposit, Jetty or LeaseLock can lower the cash due at signing. We include an estimate of that total with every community we recommend.

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