Texas rental housing laws

What it would do: Amends landlord repair duties to include failure to maintain hot water at 120 degrees Fahrenheit and ramps, elevators, or handrails. Allows landlords to provide alternative housing at no cost to tenants for ramp, elevator, or handrail repairs. Applies to leases entered into or renewed on or after September 1, 2025.

What it would do: Prohibits landlords from preventing tenants or guests from lawfully possessing, carrying, transporting, or storing firearms or ammunition in rental units, vehicles in provided parking areas, or locations necessary to access these spaces. Establishes civil penalties of $1,000-$1,500 for first violations and $10,000-$10,500 for subsequent violations, enforceable by the attorney general.

What it would do: Modifies Texas eviction procedures by requiring sworn petitions, allowing summary disposition without trial, establishing specific notice and appeal timelines, and requiring municipalities funding tenant legal aid to provide equal funding for tenant relocation assistance.

What it would do: Requires courts with jurisdiction over landlord and tenant disputes to report case information by category in monthly reports, and directs the Office of Court Administration to publish this information on a searchable public website by court, jurisdiction, representation status, and case disposition.

What it would do: Requires a landlord whose negligence or fault causes a casualty loss making residential rental premises unusable to either provide the tenant comparable replacement premises or pay the difference in rent if comparable premises are unavailable, for leases entered into or renewed after the effective date.

What it would do: Requires a landlord whose negligence or fault causes a casualty loss making residential rental premises unusable to either offer the tenant comparable premises or pay the difference in rent for comparable premises for the remainder of the lease.

What it would do: Increases the notice period for eviction from 3 days to 14 days for tenants under written leases, oral rental agreements, or tenancy at will, except when a landlord terminates a lease under Section 91.003, which allows filing a forcible detainer suit on or after the third day after notice.

What it would do: Establishes the Texas Tenant Readiness and Landlord Incentive Pilot Program, requiring the Department of Housing and Community Affairs to contract with local entities to provide up to $3,500 per household in assistance and landlord incentives for homeless individuals, domestic violence survivors, and those at high risk of housing instability.

What it would do: Allows residential tenants who lost an eviction case, paid all money owed, and executed a new lease with the same landlord to request consumer reporting agencies remove eviction case information from their credit reports within 90 days.

What it would do: Requires landlords to provide tenants with an accounting statement within three business days of written request, including rent owed, outstanding balances, charges, and remaining payments. Allows tenants to sue for violations occurring after 10 days, with prevailing tenants recovering attorney's fees and the greater of one month's rent or $500 per violation.

What it would do: Creates a new chapter allowing district attorneys and county attorneys in unincorporated areas of counties with populations exceeding one million to sue landlords for maintaining residential rental property in unsafe, unsanitary, or uninhabitable conditions, with civil penalties up to $100 per day of violation.

What it would do: Prohibits property owners' associations from restricting residential leases of at least six months or imposing occupancy limits beyond those in Property Code Section 92.010 through dedicatory instruments or restricted covenants.

What it would do: Amends the Property Code to allow notice to vacate to be given by mail using any method for which a common carrier provides evidence of mailing, in addition to regular mail, registered mail, or certified mail with return receipt requested.

What it would do: Requires Justice Courts to set forcible entry and detainer hearings no later than ten days after petition filing and no sooner than three days after citation service, and requires county courts to schedule appeal trial dates no later than 21 days after appeal filing.

What it would do: Expands Texas Property Code Section 92.017(b) to allow servicemembers' dependents to terminate leases without liability when a servicemember or spouse guarantees the lease and receives military orders for permanent change of station or 90+ day deployment. Applies to leases entered into or renewed on or after September 1, 2025.

What it would do: Requires courts to set residential eviction trial dates between the 10th and 21st day after filing, allows immediate writ of possession issuance upon default judgment without waiting six days or requiring a bond, and requires sheriffs or constables to execute writs within 10 business days.

What it would do: Requires landlords considering applicant income to include a space on rental applications for education-related income information and to consider such income in calculations. Landlords violating this requirement are liable for $100, three times any application fees or deposits, plus attorney's fees.

What it would do: Requires landlords to provide manufactured home community tenants a right of first refusal before selling, with a 121-day period for tenants to form an association and make a matching offer on the same terms as the landlord's offer.

What it would do: Requires landlords in manufactured home communities to convert to month-to-month leases and continue renewing them monthly if a tenant with a minor child would otherwise lose their lease during a school semester, until the lease expiration falls outside the school semester.

What it would do: Authorizes local governments to create tenant legal services offices providing full legal representation to indigent tenants in eviction cases and low-income tenants with disabilities in disability discrimination cases, or brief legal assistance to low-income tenants in eviction cases.

What it would do: Requires landlords to disclose all monthly recurring fees and charges in lease quotes, rental applications, and advertisements alongside rent, and to itemize fees and charges clearly on the first page of leases. Imposes penalties for nondisclosure and allows prospective tenants to demand refunds within 14 business days if disclosures are inadequate.

What it would do: Allows first responders and their dependents to terminate residential leases without liability for future rent if they become employed as first responders or receive orders for permanent residency changes or disaster response lasting at least 90 consecutive days, with specific notice and documentation requirements.

What it would do: Prohibits the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs from requiring recipients of its financial assistance to record special needs population tenant admission preferences in land use restriction agreements, unless required by federal law.

What it would do: Allows residential tenants to install electric vehicle supply equipment at their assigned parking spaces at their own expense, subject to landlord approval and a separate written agreement with specified terms regarding compliance, financial analysis, maintenance, and insurance requirements.

What it would do: Prohibits landlords from requiring tenants to pay recurring fees or charges for non-optional services like valet trash, shared utilities, smart device upgrades, or prescribed internet/cable, or billing fees, though optional fee-based services remain permitted. Applies to leases entered into or renewed on or after September 1, 2025.