Sell Your Commercial Property Fast In Arlington, TX

Who rents in Arlington

Arlington sits between Dallas and Fort Worth and has a larger renter share than either the metro or Fort Worth, where 43.0% of households rent. The Census Bureau's 2020–2024 American Community Survey counts 397,742 residents in 142,455 occupied homes, of which 65,068, or 45.7%, are rented. That compares with 39.9% across the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro. Median household income in Arlington is $75,171, below the metro's $90,275.

Three demand drivers on our Arlington page explain much of that renter base. The University of Texas at Arlington brings students, graduate assistants and staff who rent near campus and downtown. Manufacturing is anchored by GM's Arlington Assembly plant, which according to General Motors builds the Cadillac Escalade, GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Suburban and Chevrolet Tahoe, and where GM says it has assembled 13 million vehicles over the last 70 years. The Entertainment District around AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field adds hospitality and event jobs, many of them hourly.

That mix of students, plant workers and service workers helps explain why Arlington renters are more stretched than the metro average. Of the city's renter households, 56.8% pay 30% or more of income on gross rent and 27.6% pay half or more, per ACS table B25070, compared with 50.1% and 23.6% for the metro.

Rents and affordability

Arlington's median gross rent is $1,470 a month, $144 below the metro median of $1,614 and essentially level with Dallas at $1,472. ACS table B25031 shows the city's rents by unit size against the metro:

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year estimates 2020–2024, via Census Reporter for Arlington and the DFW metro. The discount to the metro is largest on small units: studios are $226 below the metro median and one-bedrooms $167 below. Three-bedroom rents, by contrast, are only $45 under the metro figure. That pattern fits a city where small units often serve students and lower-wage workers, while larger units compete with family housing across the region.

For owners, the takeaway is that rent growth on small units is constrained by what those tenants can pay, while larger units track the regional market more closely. A building with a high share of two- and three-bedroom units has more room to move rents than an efficiency-heavy property near campus.

The apartment stock

Arlington has 153,137 housing units, and ACS table B25024 shows 38,992 of them, or 25.5%, in buildings with five or more units. The mix favors small and mid-size buildings: 12,226 units are in 5–9 unit buildings and 12,883 in 10–19 unit buildings, against 5,937 in 20–49 unit buildings and 7,946 in complexes of 50 or more.

That shows up in where renters live. Per table B25032, 33,177 renter households, or 51.0% of Arlington renters, live in 5+ unit buildings, but only 10.7% live in complexes of 50 or more units. Nearly a quarter, 24.8%, rent detached houses. Arlington is a market of 1980s garden communities and small walk-up buildings rather than large towers.

The 1980s were Arlington's biggest building decade by far: 40,487 units, or 26.4% of today's housing, were built then, and the 1970s added another 28,289. The median year built is 1986. New construction has been limited since: only 8.4% of units were built in 2010 or later, including 2,894 since 2020. Older buildings therefore compete mainly with each other and with rented houses rather than with a large wave of new complexes. That is a different position from Fort Worth, where more than 40% of housing dates from 2000 or later, and it helps well-maintained 1980s properties hold occupancy. Buyers of 1970s and 1980s properties price in roof, plumbing, foundation, HVAC and electrical work.

Property taxes on apartment buildings in Arlington

Texas has no state property tax. As the Comptroller explains, county appraisal districts value property and local units levy rates. In Arlington, the Tarrant Appraisal District sets market value each year, and the city, Tarrant County, the school district, the hospital district, Tarrant County College and any special districts each tax it. Apartments get no reduced assessment ratio.

The city's share is relatively small. In May 2025 the City of Arlington said its property tax rate was $0.5998 per $100 of assessed value and described it as historically low. The school district is typically the largest portion of the bill, and most of the city is in Arlington ISD, though some parcels lie in other districts. Ask the county tax office for the parcel's full rate list rather than relying on a listing summary.

Under Tax Code § 23.231, non-homestead real property at or below an indexed threshold ($5 million for 2024) can have its appraised value rise no more than 20% a year plus new improvements. Many small Arlington buildings may fall under that threshold, but the limit begins only after the owner has held the property on January 1 of a prior year and ends at a sale. Protests are generally due by May 15 or 30 days after notice delivery, whichever is later, per the Comptroller.

Landlord rules and local compliance

Arlington cannot adopt ordinary rent control. Local Government Code § 214.902 permits it only after a disaster-related housing emergency finding and with the governor's approval.

The city runs a Multi-Family Property Inspection Program with an annual fee of $22.36 per apartment unit and a $150 fee for each reinspection. Under the city's inspection scoring guidance, inspectors review 5% of a property's total units, non-compliance triggers per-unit reinspection fees, and violations can lead to civil or criminal fines. Duplexes are covered by a separate program with a $13.80 annual fee per unit. A buyer will ask for recent scores and any open violations.

The fee structure is worth building into any sale analysis. On a 24-unit building, the annual inspection fee comes to about $537, and each failed reinspection adds $150, so a property with a history of repeat violations carries both a cost and a reputational signal that buyers notice. Clearing open items before listing is usually cheaper than negotiating a credit for them later.

State law sets deposit and eviction rules: refunds within 30 days of move-out under Property Code § 92.103, bad-faith penalties of $100 plus three times the amount withheld and attorney's fees under § 92.109, and at least three days' written notice to vacate before an eviction filing under § 24.005, unless the lease sets another period.

What this means if you own a building here

An Arlington seller is usually selling a 1970s or 1980s building of under 50 units, in a market with limited new supply, rents below the metro average and a renter base that is more cost-burdened than the region's. That supports occupancy but limits rent growth, especially on small units. Buyers will focus on collections, inspection history and capital needs, and they will underwrite taxes at their purchase price.

Before going to market, gather your inspection fee receipts and scores, three years of appraisal notices and protest results, and a trailing-12 statement. Our apartment building value calculator can give a first read on value, and our state-by-state guide compares Texas rules with other states. Skyline Capital Investments buys 5+ unit buildings across Arlington, including Downtown Arlington, the Entertainment District, Pantego and North Arlington, and our seller page explains our process.