Planning a December or January Move in Texas? When to Request Your Apartment List (2026–27)

If your lease ends in December or January, the holidays can sneak up on your apartment search. Leasing offices keep shorter hours, staff take time off, and the weeks before a move go fast. This seasonal note covers when to send your apartment search request for a move between December 2026 and early 2027, what to have ready, and how to avoid paying fees too soon.

Why Winter Moves Need a Little Extra Lead Time

Texas apartment communities stay open year-round, but the holiday weeks are different. Many leasing offices close or shorten hours around Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. Phone calls may take longer to return. Waiting lists may not move during those weeks, and some communities hold off on processing applications until staff are back.

That doesn’t mean a winter move is a bad idea. It means the time between “I found a place that may fit” and “I’ve confirmed the details” can stretch. Giving yourself more room makes the whole process calmer.

Our timing stays the same

Your personalized list arrives within 48 hours of a completed request, during the holidays too. What changes is how quickly leasing offices respond to you afterward.

When Should You Send Your Request?

There’s no single right date, but working backward from your move date helps:

Your target move	A practical time to request your list
Early December 2026	By early November
Mid to late December 2026	By mid November, before Thanksgiving week
January 2027	By early December
February 2027	By early January, after the New Year

These are planning suggestions, not rules. If your move date is sooner, send your request anyway. You’ll still receive your list within 48 hours, and a shorter timeline just means acting on it quickly.

If your move date is flexible, say so. A date range, such as “anytime between December 15 and January 31,” gives us more room to find communities that may fit. You can enter a range right on the apartment search request form.

What to Have Ready

A complete request leads to a more useful list. Before you start, gather:

• Your preferred areas. One or more of our five markets, plus any suburbs, neighborhoods, or ZIP codes, and how far you’re willing to move.
• Your monthly rent budget. The most you can comfortably pay each month.
• Your approximate gross household income. Before taxes, monthly or yearly. This helps us research options and isn’t an eligibility decision.
• Household size and bedrooms. Everyone who will live with you, and the number of bedrooms you need.
• Your move date or date range.
• Optional details. Voucher status, pets, accessibility features, and anything else that matters, like transit access or a school.

Our guide on what to include in your apartment search request walks through each field and why we ask.

Confirm Before You Pay Any Fees

Application fees are usually non-refundable. Around the holidays, it’s tempting to apply quickly so you don’t lose a unit. Slow down just enough to confirm the basics first:

1. Is a unit available for your move date, or is there only a waiting list?
2. What is the current minimum-income rule, and how does the property count income?
3. If it’s a tax credit or income-restricted unit, which income limit applies to your household size?
4. What are the required monthly fees and the deposit?
5. When will the office process your application if staff are out for the holidays?

Our guide on questions to ask before paying an application fee covers this in more detail. If a property’s income rule is close to your numbers, it may also help to read about apartments with lower minimum-income requirements.

A Quick Winter Move Checklist

• Give notice at your current place according to your lease terms.
• Send your apartment search request early, with a date range if you can.
• Call or email leasing offices on your list before their holiday closures.
• Record who you spoke with, the date, and what they said.
• Ask for screening criteria in writing before you pay.
• Leave a buffer in case paperwork takes longer in late December.

Your list provides researched apartment options to explore. Each community confirms current rents, availability, eligibility, and screening requirements and makes its own approval decisions.

Moving this winter? Request your apartment list now