Sell Your Bedford House Without the Guesswork

Three Tarrant County offices for every Bedford address

Bedford is a Tarrant County city of 48,728 people, based on the Census Bureau's 2024 estimate (city and town population totals). Every Bedford address uses the same three county offices.

1. Tarrant Appraisal District. TAD appraises the parcel, takes homestead exemption filings and is where a value protest is filed. Texas Tax Code section 41.44 sets the protest deadline at May 15 or 30 days after the appraisal notice is delivered, whichever is later.
2. Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector. The county tax office lists the City of Bedford and Hurst-Euless-Bedford ISD among the entities it collects for. Your statement shows every taxing unit on your account. Taxes go delinquent on February 1, according to the county's property tax FAQ.
3. Tarrant County Clerk. Your deed to the buyer is recorded by the County Clerk in Room B20 of the Tarrant County Courthouse, 100 W. Weatherford St., Fort Worth. The fee is $20 for the first page and $4 for each added page.

Moving out: containers, curbside rules and the water bill

Bedford's Common Code Violation Concerns page has rules that apply on moving week.

• Storage containers need a permit. A portable container (PODS) is allowed on a residential lot once a permit is issued. The permit is good for 60 days, or up to 120 days if there is a building permit on the property. Only one container is allowed per lot, no larger than 10 by 10 by 20 feet, set at least 5 feet from property lines and other buildings, on a paved surface.
• Nothing left out front. Open storage of items not meant for the outdoors is prohibited in the front yard, on a front porch or under a carport for more than 24 continuous hours.
• Curb timing. Trash and recycling should not go to the curb before 6 p.m. the evening before your pickup day.

For the account itself, Bedford's Water Utility Billing division bills water, sewer, solid waste and recycling together. The city contracts with Republic Services for collection, and those charges ride on the water bill (trash and recycling page). Payment is past due if the Customer Service Office in City Hall, Building C, has not received it by 5 p.m. on the due date. The city then mails one delinquent notice; if that notice's due date passes without full payment or approved arrangements, service is terminated the next business day. Residents 65 and older can get a utility discount, and the page points to Texas Utility Help for financial assistance. Call Utility Billing at 817-952-2112 and ask how to stop service on your move-out date.

Keeping an empty Bedford house within code

Once a Bedford house is empty, the city's Neighborhood Services Division is the office most likely to notice it. It handles high weeds and grass, trash and debris, illegal dumping, substandard structures and other nuisance and property-standard violations. Its officers photograph possible violations and prepare the paperwork for legal action. The standards listed on the common violations page that most often trip up a vacant house:

• Grass and weeds kept under 10 inches, with curbs, gutters and sidewalks edged and clean.
• Fence panels, pickets and slats secured, not rotted and not leaning more than 15 degrees.
• No wrecked, dismantled or inoperable vehicle, including one with flat tires, parked in public view. The page notes that state law requires the city to give the owner 30 days to remove or fix it.

Neighborhood Services is at 1805 L Don Dodson Dr. and answers at 817-952-2640. If you already have a case open, ask what remains before you sign a sales contract, so the buyer and title company see the same list you do.

Selling a Bedford rental with a tenant inside

Selling a Bedford rental with someone still living in it means planning around the lease. Texas Property Code section 24.005 generally requires a landlord to give at least three days' written notice to vacate before filing an eviction suit, unless the written lease sets a shorter or longer period. Eviction suits are filed in justice court. Tarrant County has eight justice courts, with a civil limit of $20,000, and the county's Justice Precincts map shows which precinct covers your street. Precinct 3's court page says businesses filing evictions must use e-file, and it points non-attorneys to Guide and File.

Ask a Texas real estate attorney before you send any notice. Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas has a Fort Worth office at 600 East Weatherford St. (817-336-3943). Our posts on squatters in DFW and selling a vacant house cover related questions.

Selling to Cash Home Advisors

You can sell as-is and skip the repairs. We can close in 7–14 days and we pay all closing costs. Se habla español.

Read how it works, try the seller net proceeds calculator, or tell us about your Bedford house.

Local offices for this area

• Tarrant Appraisal District
• Tarrant County Tax Assessor-Collector: property tax
• Tarrant County Clerk: real estate records
• City of Bedford: Water Utility Billing
• City of Bedford: Code Compliance (Neighborhood Services)
• Tarrant County Justice of the Peace Courts

ZIP codes we buy in: 76021, 76022