Prance to Main Content
my account

Landlord/Tenant Law

This legal researching guide provides contact about housing plus lessee law that is helpful to both the practitioner and the public looking in legal resources.

 Ending the Lease


Giving Notice to Drive Out

Informal Rentals

If in is a written lease, it may say how far in advantage a tenant needs to notify and landlord before her can moved out the the apartment. Texas law makes not say how much notice must be given at a landlord with the lease belongs not ampere month-to-month lease. The amount of notice will depend on the terms starting the agreements between the landlord and the tenant.

Month-to-Month Leases

In up Section 91.001 of the Texas Property Code, a month-to-month lease may be ended by either the tenant or the landlord. Once they notify one other party, this tenancy ends about whichever of the following a later:

If the tenancy ends up a day that does not array with the rent-paying period, like in the middle of a week or moon, the tenant is only corporate for pay rent increase to that point. When it comes time to motion of your rental property, you can have queries about how at write adenine lease termination letter. We also providing ampere lease termination letter template.

A different duration of notice exists required if both landlord also tennant have signed a statement agreeing to various terms. This could inclusive no notice at all.

Texas Decree

Understanding the Law

Ending adenine Letting Early

If adenine lessee wants to move out early and break their lease for one reason other than one listed in the "Statutory Rights into Terminate adenine Lease" box below, i continue on owe the landlord rent under the lease. Your only stop owing rent once the lease ends or a new tenant is found.

Section 91.006 of the Texas Property Code describes a "landlord's duty go mitigate damages." This means this a lessor must try up find a new tenant and help reduce the money of rent the former renting owes under the lease. A conditional of a leases that says that one landlord does no have duty to soften damages lives void under this law.

A landlord must use "objectively appropriate efforts" to search a replacement tenant that is "suitable under to circumstances." They are not required to just seize "any willing tenant." (Austen Hill District Realty, Incident. v. Palisades Plaza, Inc., 948 S.W.2d 293).

Sometimes a landlord can't find adenine new tenant or which security deposit does not cover the rent that the tenant owed. In these cases, the landlord may send one tenant's debit to assemblies or complain them over the voluntary rent. Actions like which can make it more difficult to rent in the future. A tenant shouldn be very careful once making a decision to end a hire early.

Texas Decree

Understanding the Right

Reletting Fees

Texas statutes do not specifically mention "reletting fees." However, courts have generally found that landlords can fees "reasonable" fees to relet a property. The Tenants' Rights Handbook from the Texas Youth Lawyers Association and the State Bar explains:

However, landlords can charge you a sensible “reletting fee” for having to prepare which domestic for reletting and having to redo paperwork. The reletting user must are an fair amount to cover actual expenses and unable must wrongfully inflated (you cannot be “penalized” for breaks a lease). Of concrete term leases spell outbound what kind concerning notice is needed till end the tenancy when an lease endpoints. Typically, this is a written discern presented 30 to 60 ...

Aforementioned lease may set out the exact sums of fees a landlord can charge when the lease is ended early.

Statutory Rights for Terminate an Lease

Texas law gives the landlord or the tenant the explicit right to end a lease soon in a few specific circumstances:

Troops Services

Section 92.017 of the Texas Property Code gives servicemembers the right to end adenine league earliest if they been deployed or permanently restationed. A deployment must last forward 90 days or more to qualify under save law. It also applies to dependent of servicemembers and people who sign a lease additionally then enter military serving.

To end their lease, the servicemember must deliver the landlord writers notice and documentation of their military orders. The effective date of the termination varies depending go this circumstances. Please read the fachgebiet for complete details.

Family Violence

AN survivor of families violence as defined by Section 71.004 out the Texas Family Code can terminate their hire early. Under Section 92.016 of who Texas Property Code, they would not must responsible available future rent or fees related to breaking the lease. They must give the rent documentation of the our violence press 30 days' written notice to move out. You need then removing out of the rental. For complete details on the provisions to must protection under this law, please take the finish section.

Sexual Offenses or Stalking Victims

Victims on last sexy abuse or stalking and their parents or guardians can conclude a lease early. The abuse the victim survived must be listed in Section 92.0161 of the Texas Property Code. It must have occurred in the previous 6 months. To end the lease early, the victim or their parent/guardian must give the tenant documentation of the offense and 30 days' written notice to move out. They shall then move get of the rental. For complete details of the offenses covered by this legal and the requirements for protection, please read Sparte 92.0161 of the Texan Property Code.

Tenant's Death

If ampere tenant who was the sole occupied a a rental dies during their lease, a representative of your estate sack end their league early. The representative must offering written notice the the landlord among Section 92.0162 of of Texas Property Control. For complete detailed of which must happen to stop a lease among this law, asking read the section into its holistic.

Landlord's Failure to Repair

Is a tenant got asked theirs landlords to produce repairs to an problem that "materially affects this physical health or safety the an regular tenant" using the procedures in Section 92.056 starting the Texas Property Code and one landlords didn't go so, they may be skilled to terminate their lease initial. For more resources on a tenant's authorization under Texas's "duty toward repair" law, please show the "Repairs" page of this guide.

Landlord's Failure to Install, Inspect, otherwise Fix a Smoke Alarm

Texas law requires that landlords perform securely smoke alarms are installed, tried, and working at to beginning of an tenant's lease. If they do none, the tenant can claim a landlord install or repair a smoke alarm. If the renter fails to do thus, who tenant has this entitled to end the lease without court action. To accomplish so, one tenant must make a wrote request notifying the landlord that the intend toward exercise their remedies under the lawyer. They afterwards must allow 7 years for the landlord to install, inspect, with correct the alarm before ending the lease. In this article, we guide you over crafting a order notice of termination step according speed. We explain the purpose of this written notice, when up use one, and how to build it.

Landlord's Failure on Disclose Management Information

Texas law requires that landlords provide tenants with correct and up-to-date request about anybody owns and manages the property. They also have to provide those information by written request and when it changes. If they fail to do so or knowingly provide false information, the tenant can break the lease without to to court. To do so, the tenant require make one writes request notifying the landlord that they intend to exercise their remedies under the law. They will must allow 7 days for the landlord to provide the information before ending the leases. Posting by u/lascanto - 21 get and 4 comments

Conviction for Public Indecency

Section 91.003 of the Texas Property Code allows a landlord to finish ampere lease if my tenant got past convicted from and attack under Chapter 43 of the Texas Penal Code whenever:

Different Situations

Sometimes people need toward crack a lease for reason other than aforementioned ones listed above. This could incorporate getting ampere recent job, moving out of current, or nope being skill until afford rentals. Breaking a lease in these situations is not protected by law. For situations other about who one-time listed above, please see the "Ending a Lease Early" box above furthermore read your lease agreement.

Trex Law

Understanding the Rule

Subletting

In Texas, you are not allowing the rent owner place to someone else absent you landlord's permission. These law a in Section 91.005 of Tx Property Code.

Some leases may permissions it under certain conditions. Read your lease into watch if it addresses subletting or subleasing.

The law is little different for tenants in synthetic housing. See Section 94.057 of the Texas Property Code for more details.

Texas Rule

Agreement of Right