Key takeaways
- The monthly fee usually covers notices, tenant contact and the ledger; court costs are almost never included.
- In Tarrant County Justice Court Precinct 1, filing costs $54 plus $90 per person served, and a writ of possession $185.
- Texas lets an authorized agent who is not an attorney represent the owner in a justice court eviction (Property Code 24.011).
- Our eviction service is $7.95 a month on Standard and Investor Special and included on Full Service.
- Lost rent and the turnover cost far more than any fee, so screening is the real cost control.
Are eviction costs included in property management fees? Usually not. The monthly fee covers the routine work when a tenant stops paying: the notice, the ledger and the calls. The court costs are the owner's. For a Fort Worth area home filed in Tarrant County Justice Court Precinct 1, for example, filing costs $54 plus $90 for each person served, and a writ of possession adds $185. Many managers also charge an eviction handling fee; ours is an optional $7.95 a month, or included on Full Service.
The agreement tells you exactly where the line falls, and that line varies more between companies than almost any other fee. Below is what to look for, what an eviction service plan actually buys, and how to read a quote so an eviction does not become the moment you discover your fee structure.
What the monthly fee usually covers
A non-paying tenant creates work before anything reaches a courtroom, and that work is what the monthly fee is for:
- Late notices and the written notice Property Code 24.005 requires before filing; since January 1, 2026, a tenant who had not been late before must get it as a notice to pay rent or vacate.
- Calls and written communication with the tenant, including any payment arrangement you approve.
- Keeping the tenant ledger accurate so the court has a clean record of what is owed.
- Preparing the filing packet and, with many managers, appearing at the justice court hearing on your behalf.
Under Property Code Section 24.011, the parties to an eviction suit in justice court may represent themselves or be represented by authorized agents who need not be attorneys, which is why many managers handle the hearing themselves. Whether that appearance is part of the monthly fee or billed separately is the first thing to check. The complete breakdown of who pays each cost is in eviction costs: what an owner pays and what a manager covers.
What the owner pays
Three costs are nearly always yours, because they are paid to third parties:
- The court filing fee charged by the justice court to open the case.
- The constable or sheriff fee to serve the citation and, if the tenant does not leave after judgment, to execute the writ of possession.
- Attorney fees if the case is contested, appealed, or you choose to use counsel.
On top of those, many managers charge an eviction handling fee for the time involved, either flat or per hearing. Then there is the cost nobody puts on a fee schedule: the rent you do not collect during the process, the turnover, and the make-ready after a tenant who left under pressure. The steps and timing are laid out in the Texas eviction process timeline. For most owners, lost rent and turnover dwarf every fee on the list.
What an eviction protection plan actually covers
Some managers offer eviction protection as an optional monthly charge or as part of a premium plan. Here is how eviction service sits on each of our plans, next to the court costs that are paid to the county:
| Plan | Eviction service | Cost to the owner | Court costs in Tarrant County JP Precinct 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investor Special (5 or more units) | Optional | $7.95 per month | $54 filing, $90 per person served, $185 writ if needed |
| Standard | Optional | $7.95 per month | $54 filing, $90 per person served, $185 writ if needed |
| Full Service | Included | Part of the 10% monthly fee | $54 filing, $90 per person served, $185 writ if needed |
How to read this table: the eviction service column is the manager's part, and the right-hand column is what the court and constable charge in that precinct, which differs by court. Our price sheet lists the eviction service, not the court costs, so ask how court costs are handled on your plan and get the answer in your written agreement. A year of the optional service is $95.40.
For any plan, from any company, read what triggers it and what it excludes:
- Does it apply only to tenants the manager screened and placed, or also to a tenant you brought with you?
- Does it cover attorney fees if the tenant contests or appeals?
- Does it cover lost rent, or only the manager's work and the hard costs? Most do not cover lost rent.
- Does it cover the turnover or the make-ready? Almost never.
How guarantees are worded and where they stop is in rent, tenant and service guarantees explained, and the guarantees page shows how Perpetual words its own.
Where the real cost is controlled: before the lease is signed
The cheapest eviction is the one that does not happen. The fee question matters, but the screening question matters more: income verified against the rent, rental history actually called, consistent criteria applied to every adult, and a lease that states the late fee and the notice process clearly. A manager who screens to a written standard and enforces the lease from the first late payment has far fewer evictions to charge you for.
When a tenant does stop paying, speed is the second cost control. A notice to vacate served on time, a filing the day the notice period ends and a hearing attended with a clean ledger shorten the months of lost rent. The eviction service page describes how that sequence runs when Perpetual handles it.
What to check in the agreement
- Is attending the justice court hearing included in the monthly fee, or billed as an eviction fee?
- What is the eviction fee in dollars, and does it recur if the hearing is reset?
- Does the monthly fee continue during the months the tenant is not paying, or is it on rent collected only?
- If there is a protection plan, what triggers it, what does it exclude, and does it cover a tenant you brought?
- Who chooses and pays the attorney if one is needed?
Get the answers in writing as part of the quote. This is general information, not legal advice; for a specific eviction, confirm the process and costs with a Texas attorney.
How Perpetual handles this
Every fee Perpetual charges, including anything connected to an eviction, is in the written agreement before you sign, and if a fee is not in the agreement you do not pay it. Perpetual Property Management is broker-owned and local to Keller, North Richland Hills and Fort Worth, and we would rather spend the effort on the front end: income of at least 3 times the rent, verified, rental history checked, and one written screening standard for every adult.
If a tenant stops paying, we attempt a documented resolution first, then serve the notice Texas procedure requires, keep the ledger clean and coordinate the filing, with a landlord-tenant attorney where the case calls for one. You see every step and every charge on your monthly statement and in the owner portal. If a tenant we place defaults and is removed within the first 6 months, we find you a new tenant with no additional leasing fee.
The takeaway: Court, constable and attorney costs are the owner's, the manager's eviction fee is a separate line to check, and the cheapest eviction is the one good screening prevents.
Questions owners ask
Does the property manager go to eviction court for me?
Many do. Under Texas Property Code 24.011, the parties to an eviction suit in justice court may be represented by authorized agents who need not be attorneys, so the owner does not have to attend. Whether that appearance is part of the monthly fee or a separate eviction fee depends on the agreement. On an appeal of a single-family home eviction to county court, plan on an attorney.
Can eviction costs be recovered from the tenant?
Court costs and unpaid rent can be included in the judgment, and the security deposit can be applied against what is owed after move-out. Actually collecting a judgment from a tenant who has already failed to pay rent is uncertain, so treat recovery as a possibility rather than a plan.
Do I still pay the management fee while the tenant is not paying?
On a rent-collected agreement, no, because the fee is a share of rent received and none came in. On a rent-due agreement, yes, the fee accrues on the scheduled rent. Check which one your agreement uses; it changes what an eviction costs you month by month.
Is an eviction protection plan worth it?
It depends on the tenant and the plan. For a tenant the manager screened to a strict standard, an eviction is unlikely and the plan is a small insurance premium. For an inherited tenant with little history, it can be worth having. Read what it excludes, since most plans cover court and manager costs but not lost rent or turnover.
How much is Perpetual's eviction service?
It is an optional $7.95 a month on the Standard and Investor Special plans and included on the Full Service plan at 10% of monthly rent. Court and constable fees are set by the court, for example $54 to file and $90 per person served in Tarrant County Justice Court Precinct 1, so ask how they are handled on your plan.
Related services
Property management in Keller, North Richland Hills and Fort Worth. How full-service management works in Tarrant County →
