Senior Living Apartments in Fort Worth, TX

Seniors typically pay for a senior apartment the same way they’d pay rent at any ordinary apartment — using a combination of their personal income resources. Senior veterans or their spouses may also qualify for some veterans benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which can help pay rent at a senior apartment.

Senior apartments aren’t covered by Medicaid, Medicare, or long-term care insurance. However, those resources may cover some in-home health care services within a senior apartment. They may also be used to pay for a senior care facility, should future care needs arise.

Below you’ll find useful information on private payment methods, veterans benefits, Medicaid, Medicare, and local housing assistance. You’ll also learn about how these payment methods may apply to potential care needs in the future.

Senior apartments in Texas are not regulated by a state agency. They’re regulated the same as any standard apartment complex. And, just like any rental property, senior apartments are required to comply with general Texas housing laws, such as the Texas Property Code and Fair Housing Act. These laws help ensure that senior apartment residents in Texas are not discriminated against and that they’re provided with safe, well-maintained housing. Furthermore, most Texas senior apartments have a minimum age requirement of 55, with some apartments raising it to 62.

Below, you’ll find a summary of some of the rights you have as a tenant at a senior apartment. You’ll also find a breakdown of how senior apartments must accommodate seniors with a disability.

What are my rights as a senior apartment tenant in Texas?

Senior apartment communities are required to comply with the state’s housing and apartment regulations for landlords and tenants. It’s useful to learn about tenant’s rights, as it’ll help you find a safe and satisfactory living situation while you rent.

Here’s a brief overview of some important tenants’ rights in Texas:

• Residents hold the right to ask their landlord to repair problems that risk their health and safety, and landlords must make a diligent effort to repair the problems at hand.
• Residents may terminate their lease if a problem that affects their health hasn’t been resolved after two notices to the landlord and within a reasonable timeframe — usually seven days.
• Residents may hire an external contractor to fix the problems at hand if their landlord fails to resolve issues that affect their health after multiple notices within a reasonable timeframe. Residents can then submit their expenses to the landlord to deduct from their rent.

Before attempting to terminate a lease or hiring an external contractor, it’s strongly recommended that you reach out to an attorney or a local tenants association. Consulting a housing expert will prevent you from breaching any lease agreements, and it’ll hopefully lead you to the end result you desire. It’s also recommended that tenants provide multiple written notices to their landlord and keep a copy of each notice as proof.

If you’re seeking more information on your rights as a senior apartment tenant, be sure to read the Texas Tenants’ Rights Handbook.

How do senior apartments accommodate seniors with disabilities?

In Texas, federal nondiscrimination laws — such as the Fair Housing Act, Section 504, and Americans with Disabilities Act (or ADA) — protect tenants from being discriminated against due to disability. This prohibits senior apartment landlords from refusing housing due to a senior’s disability. Furthermore, these laws require housing providers to provide reasonable accommodations and modifications in housing, programs, and activities for individuals with disabilities.

If you’re a senior with a disability, you have the right to request reasonable accommodations and modifications within your senior apartment community. Reasonable accommodations are defined as changes to facility policies. Some examples of reasonable accommodations include the following:

• Allowing a service animal to live with a resident even when there’s a no-pets policy in place
• Assigning a parking spot for easy entry to the resident’s building
• Changing the due date of rent to reflect a resident’s disability income payment dates

Modifications are structural changes to common areas and individual units. Some examples of reasonable modifications in line with ADA include the following:

• Installing a specialized smoke detector for a resident with a hearing impairment
• Adding a wheelchair ramp to enable a disabled resident to easily access shared spaces and participate in resident activities
• Installing grab bars or widening doorways in a resident’s unit to accommodate wheelchair users

These nondiscrimination laws apply to all senior apartments in Fort Worth. Senior apartment landlords are required to pay for such modifications unless providing them would pose an undue financial or administrative burden. If you’d like more information, see this detailed infographic on reasonable accommodations and modifications for Texas renters.

Who do I contact for additional questions or concerns while renting a senior apartment?

For general concerns, Fort Worth offers an overview of renter’s rights and guidelines on its city website. For further questions regarding a rental lease, the city recommends that renters reach out to the following agencies:

• Better Business Bureau
  1612 Summit Ave.
  Fort Worth, TX 76102
  Phone: 817-332-7585

• Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas
  600 E. Weatherford St.
  Fort Worth, TX 76102
  Phone: 817-336-3943

You can also view rental inspection scores on the Fort Worth city website. You can search for your prospective senior apartment complex by name or address to find its most recent inspection date and score.

COVID-19 regulations for Fort Worth senior apartments

Due to the overall decline of COVID-19, Fort Worth doesn’t have any COVID-19 regulations in place for senior apartments. However, Fort Worth residents can visit the COVID-19 informational page on the city’s official website to get the latest news regarding local outbreaks, vaccinations, COVID-19 testing, and more.

Fort Worth is a popular destination for seniors seeking to retire in the greater Dallas area. This is due to its family-friendly environment, robust health care options, and warm weather. To accommodate the aging population, Fort Worth enacted an Age-Friendly Fort Worth Action Plan in 2017. Since then, the city has begun to implement aging-friendly practices across the following domains for seniors:

• Outdoor spaces and buildings
• Respect and social inclusion
• Communication and information
• Transportation
• Civic participation and employment
• Housing
• Community support and health services

You’ll also find that senior living options increased in the last few years. While independent living communities tend to dominate among active seniors in Fort Worth, there are still a few great senior apartment community options available. Read on for a brief overview of the most unique senior apartment community features in Fort Worth.

Engaging activities help residents socialize and stay active

In Fort Worth, there’s a high number of senior apartments that offer engaging on-site activities. To help residents socialize and make new friends, all of our senior apartment communities host resident socials, holiday parties, and birthday celebrations. On sunny days, seniors can also attend outdoor community events, such as barbecues and picnics, where they often host yard games, too.

Seniors looking to stay active can also attend on-site fitness classes, such as chair yoga, stretching, water aerobics, and more. A select few senior apartments also offer devotional services on-site, enabling residents to practice their faith alongside their peers.

Luxurious amenities help residents continue their favorite activities

In Fort Worth, senior apartments offer plenty of amenities to help residents continue their cherished hobbies and pastimes — at their own leisure. Comfortable and convenient amenities enable residents to do their favorite things without having to leave the premises. Residents can stroll winding courtyard paths, break a sweat using on-site fitness facilities, or gather with friends to enjoy their favorite games or movies.

Some of the most common amenities on-site at Fort Worth senior apartments include the following:

• Swimming pools
• Fitness centers
• Grilling stations
• Clubhouses/game rooms
• Business centers
• Small cafes or pubs
• Movie theaters
• Libraries
• Beauty salons

Some of our more luxurious partners even offer on-site boutiques, barbershops, and massage rooms.

Security features and convenient apartment amenities help residents feel safe

Senior apartments in Fort Worth offer senior residents an additional safety net with features you may not find in typical apartment complexes. Many of our partner senior apartments are secured and fully gated, enabling residents to enjoy on-site amenities without any worries. Within the gates, seniors benefit from safety features, such as smart door locks, video surveillance, and enclosed courtyards. Most of these apartments also offer safe accessibility options inside units, like low-threshold showers with grab bars.

Health care for seniors in Fort Worth

The Fort Worth health care scene is merged with the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area, meaning the area’s high-rated medical centers are mainly in Dallas. Below, you’ll find a glimpse of what these top-rated medical centers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area offer.

Transportation for seniors in Fort Worth

Most senior apartment residents are fairly independent and drive themselves around in Fort Worth. However, some seniors may prefer to drive less as they age. Luckily, all of our partner senior apartments offer nearby public transit options. And, a select few of our partner communities even offer on-site complimentary or at-cost transportation services. Inquire at your prospective community to see if they offer transportation services.

Public transit for seniors in Fort Worth

Seniors and their visiting loved ones can utilize Tarrant County’s public transportation system, Trinity Metro, to get around Fort Worth. Trinity Metro offers buses, trains, and rideshare options. Tarrant County also partners with nonprofit transportation services to offer seniors transportation to routine medical appointments, shopping trips, and other essential errands.

Seniors might also be interested in learning about the city’s sprawl. These scores from WalkScore can help you get a better idea of Fort Worth’s transportation options. The scores are each out of 100 and are based on the public density, walking routes, public transportation options, biking routes, and general infrastructure: