# Misdemeanor Apartments San Antonio | SA Locators > How misdemeanors are weighed differently from felonies in San Antonio screening: age and severity thresholds, which classes stay open, and deposit expectations. URL: https://sanantonioapartmentlocators.com/guide/misdemeanor-apartments-san-antonio/ Last-Modified: 2026-08-01 Guide # Misdemeanor Apartments in San Antonio How misdemeanors are weighed differently from felonies in San Antonio screening: age and severity thresholds, which classes stay open, and deposit expectations. Last reviewed August 1, 2026 · 6 min read ![A San Antonio apartment community entrance](/images/featured/san-antonio-apartment-community-entrance-drive-wit.webp) ## The short version A misdemeanor is generally weighed more lightly than a felony in San Antonio apartment screening, and the lookback window applied to it is usually shorter. That is a factual difference in how properties structure their criteria, not a promise about your application. As on every background page here, we state policies as properties state them and do not characterize any record as disqualifying or acceptable, the standard set out on our background-issues service page [/background-issues/ →](/background-issues/) . ![How a misdemeanor is weighted against a felony](/images/content/graphic-weighting-a-misdemeanor-against-a-felony-i.webp) ## Misdemeanor versus felony, in screening terms | | Misdemeanor | Felony | | --- | --- | --- | | Typical lookback | Often 3-7 years | 7+ years, sometimes longer | | Weight where inside the window | Lighter, severity-dependent | Heavier | | Class A willingness to proceed | More common | Less common | | Class B/C case-by-case review | Common | Common for older non-violent | | Effect of a single old offense | Frequently minimal | Still weighed | Across the communities we work with, confirmed July 2026. Individual policies vary and change without notice. ## What actually moves the outcome **Age.** The dominant variable. A misdemeanor from six years ago may fall outside the property’s lookback altogether, which means it does not enter the decision. One from last year is inside it nearly everywhere. **Severity.** Management companies commonly distinguish between offense categories rather than treating all misdemeanors alike. Where a property publishes categorical criteria, that distinction is usually written into it. **Frequency.** Two or three offenses within a short period read differently from one. Reviewers with discretion look at trajectory, the same way they do with credit. **Disposition.** A conviction, a dismissal, a deferred adjudication and a charge that never proceeded do not appear identically on every report, and properties interpret them differently. Deferred adjudication has its own treatment, see deferred adjudication apartments [/guide/deferred-adjudication-apartments-san-antonio/ →](/guide/deferred-adjudication-apartments-san-antonio/) . ![Age and severity scale for misdemeanor records](/images/content/age-and-severity-scale-for-misdemeanor-records-in-.webp) ## Where to look The same pattern as every screening scenario in this market: older Class B and C communities, where an on-site manager reviews rather than a portfolio rule deciding. Roughly 18% of San Antonio’s stock was built between 1980 and 1989, and that layer holds the discretion. But misdemeanors are the background category where Class A is most often workable too, particularly for an older minor offense outside a property’s lookback. It is worth asking rather than assuming you are limited to the older stock. > **Ask the specific question** > > “What is your lookback period for misdemeanors, and does it differ from your felony lookback?” That gets a number. “Are you background friendly?” gets a sentence that means nothing. ## A common and avoidable mistake Renters with a single old misdemeanor frequently avoid applying at properties that would not have cared. We see it regularly. Someone who has been renting from individual owners for years, paying above-market rent, because they assumed a seven-year-old minor offense closed the conventional market to them. Frequently it did not. The lookback had expired, or the offense class was outside what the property considered. The cost of that assumption is measured in years of overpaying. Confirming a property’s stated lookback takes one phone call. That is the actual value of this page. ## What to expect on deposit Where a misdemeanor is inside a lookback and the property proceeds anyway, an elevated deposit is possible but less common than with credit or rental-history issues. Background tends to be a threshold question rather than a risk-pricing one. If credit or rental history is also part of your file, that combination will usually drive the deposit more than the record does. Options for offsetting are in guarantees and deposit alternatives [/guide/guarantees-and-deposit-alternatives-san-antonio/ →](/guide/guarantees-and-deposit-alternatives-san-antonio/) . ## What we do We ask each property what its stated misdemeanor lookback and policy are, record the answer with a date, and give you the list of communities whose policy would permit review of a record of your class and age. We need the offense class, the year and the disposition, not the story. Start here, free [/get-started/ →](/get-started/) . If your record is outside every relevant lookback, we will tell you that you probably do not need us at all. ![Marlene Quade](/images/avatars/marlene-quade.webp) Written by Marlene Quade [/about/marlene-quade/ →](/about/marlene-quade/) Lead Agent & Author Lead agent and author at San Antonio Apartment Locators, specializing in second-chance and complicated-file placements across Bexar County. Licensed Texas Real Estate Agent (Spirit Real Estate Group, LLC, TREC #9003398) Straight answers ## Common questions Does a misdemeanor affect apartment approval in San Antonio? It can, but generally less than a felony. Misdemeanor lookback windows are typically shorter, often three to seven years against seven-plus for felonies, and many properties weigh a single older minor misdemeanor lightly or not at all. Age and severity drive the outcome more than the label. How recent does a misdemeanor have to be to matter? Recency matters a great deal. A misdemeanor from six years ago with nothing since frequently falls outside a property's lookback entirely. One from last year sits squarely inside it at most properties. Multiple offenses in a short window weigh more heavily than any single one. Which classes are most flexible on misdemeanors? Class B and C communities with case-by-case review, which is where on-site managers still hold discretion. That said, misdemeanors are the background category where Class A properties are most often willing to proceed, particularly for older minor offenses outside their lookback. Should I disclose a misdemeanor if the application does not ask? Answer accurately whatever the application asks. Screening reports surface records regardless, and a reviewer who finds something undisclosed weighs a credibility problem on top of the record itself. If the application does not ask and the record is outside the lookback, there is usually nothing to volunteer. Question not answered here? Send it over with your file details and we will answer it against current property standards, not a general rule of thumb. Get Started, Free [/get-started/ →](/get-started/) ## Related guides ### Deferred Adjudication Apartments in San Antonio What deferred adjudication looks like on a background report in San Antonio, how properties interpret it, which classes are flexible, and deposit expectations. [Deferred Adjudication Apartments in San Antonio →](/guide/deferred-adjudication-apartments-san-antonio/) ### DWI / DUI Apartments in San Antonio How a DWI or DUI is categorized on a background check in San Antonio, the age and frequency factors that matter, which classes review, and deposit expectations. [DWI / DUI Apartments in San Antonio →](/guide/dwi-dui-apartments-san-antonio/) ### Felony-Friendly Apartments in San Antonio How felony records are evaluated in San Antonio and where flexibility exists: offense age and class, which classes review case-by-case. Policies stated factually, never as disqualifying. [Felony-Friendly Apartments in San Antonio →](/guide/felony-friendly-apartments-san-antonio/) Next step, when you want one ## Learn more about Background Issues This guide sits under our Background Issues service. That page carries the full data table, the process, and what we can and can't do for a file like yours. Read the Background Issues page [/background-issues/ →](/background-issues/) Get Started, Free [/get-started/ →](/get-started/)