Lease and Rental Agreements in General
State laws regulate the relationship between landlords and tenants, including key issues such as limits on security deposits and anti-discrimination laws. When you add your signature to a lease (or rental agreement), you are agreeing to a contract with the property owner. Rental agreements generally provide protections for both parties; and if either party breaks the lease, he or she may be held liable for breach of contract and would have to compensate the other party for damages incurred.
While state law governs certain requirements of lease agreements, leases tend to vary quite a bit from one landlord to the next. In general, leases include the following elements:
Texas Lease and Rental Agreements
In Texas, leases and rental agreement laws place no limits on security deposits but require landlords to return deposits (minus the amount used for cleaning and repairs) within 30 days of lease termination. Other than the usual anti-discrimination protections found under federal law, Texas also prohibits bias on the basis of familial status.
Learn more about Texas leases and rental agreement laws in the table below. For more information, please see FindLaw's Rental and Lease Agreements section.
| Code Section | Prop. §§92.101, et seq.; Prop. 301.001, et seq. |
| Terms of Leases | Holdover implies an agreement between landlord and tenant; normally lease for 1 year will be implied absent express or implied contrary agreement (Barragan v. Munoz, 525 S.W. 2d 559 (1975)) |
| Deposits | No limit on deposit; interest on deposit required; deposit must be returned within 30 days of termination |
| Discrimination | No discrimination on basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin; housing for older persons exempted |
| Uniform Residential Landlord & Tenant Act Adopted? | No |
Note: State laws are constantly changing -- contact a Texas landlord / tenant attorney or conduct your own legal research to verify the state law(s) you are researching.
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Texas Leases and Rental Agreements Laws: Related Resources
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Everyone deserves to live in a dignified manner, which includes having the terms of your lease honored by your landlord. In return, you're also expected to play by the rules. If you have a legal dispute pertaining to your lease or rental agreement, consider getting a free legal evaluation of your situation by a Texas real estate attorney.
