Last reviewed September 2026
Written by LawLease Editorial
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Texas Lease Amendment
This Lease Amendment is built with Texas as the governing state. These are the Texas landlord-tenant rules that most often bear on it, with the statute for each.
Texas rules at a glance
| Rent-increase notice | No statute; month-to-month changes need one rental period’s notice in practiceTex. Prop. Code §91.001 |
|---|---|
| Rent control | Barred except in a governor-approved disaster emergencyTex. Loc. Gov’t Code §214.902 |
| Rent increases | Texas has no rent-increase notice statute. A fixed-term lease can’t be changed mid-term without the tenant’s agreement; for a month-to-month tenancy, an increase is effectively an offer of new terms, so landlords give at least the one rental period required to end the tenancy (§91.001). |
| Security deposit limit | No statutory cap |
| Deposit return | 30 days after surrender, once the tenant gives a written forwarding addressTex. Prop. Code §§92.103, 92.107 |
| Itemized deductions | Any deduction must come with a written description and itemized list. Normal wear and tear can never be deducted (§92.104). |
Security deposits in Texas
Texas places no limit on the size of a security deposit and does not require it to be held in a separate or interest-bearing account. The rules are about the refund — and the penalties for getting it wrong are steep.
- 30-day refund — The landlord must refund the deposit on or before the 30th day after the tenant surrenders the premises (§92.103(a)). The clock doesn’t start until the tenant gives a written forwarding address — but a tenant doesn’t forfeit the deposit merely by failing to give one (§92.107).
- Itemized deductions — Any deduction must come with a written description and itemized list. Normal wear and tear can never be deducted (§92.104).
- Advance-notice conditions — A lease clause requiring advance notice of move-out as a condition of the refund is only enforceable if it is underlined or in conspicuous bold print (§92.103(b)).
- Bad-faith penalty — A landlord who fails to refund or itemize within 30 days is presumed to have acted in bad faith; bad-faith retention costs $100 plus three times the amount wrongfully withheld, plus the tenant’s attorney’s fees (§92.109).
- No “last month” offset — A tenant may not withhold the last month’s rent on the theory that the deposit covers it; doing so is presumed bad faith and exposes the tenant to three times the rent withheld (§92.108).
- Email notices — For leases signed or renewed on or after September 1, 2025, deposit-related notices may go by email if the parties have previously communicated by email (§92.113, HB 2037).
Rent, late fees & returned payments
Texas is one of the few states with a precise late-fee statute. A late fee is only collectible if notice of it is in a written lease, it is reasonable, and rent has remained unpaid two full days after the due date (§92.019(a)).
- Safe-harbor cap — A fee is presumed reasonable if it doesn’t exceed 12% of one month’s rent for a dwelling in a structure with four or fewer units, or 10% for a structure with more than four. A higher fee must be justified by the landlord’s actual uncertain damages (§92.019(a-1)).
- Initial + daily fees — A lease may combine an initial fee with a daily fee, but the two together count as a single late fee against the cap (§92.019(b)).
- Penalty — An unlawful late fee costs the landlord $100, three times the fee collected, and the tenant’s attorney’s fees; any lease waiver of these rules is void (§92.019(c)–(d)).
- Returned payments — The processing fee for a dishonored check or electronic payment is capped at $30 (Tex. Bus. & Com. Code §3.506).
- Cash rent — A landlord must accept cash unless the written lease requires another method, and must give a written receipt for cash (§92.011).
- Rent increases — Texas has no rent-increase notice statute. A fixed-term lease can’t be changed mid-term without the tenant’s agreement; for a month-to-month tenancy, an increase is effectively an offer of new terms, so landlords give at least the one rental period required to end the tenancy (§91.001).
Texas Lease Amendment FAQs
How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Texas?
There is no statutory cap — the lease sets the amount. Texas regulates the refund instead: 30 days after the tenant surrenders the unit and provides a written forwarding address, with an itemized list of any deductions (§§92.103, 92.104, 92.107).
How long does a Texas landlord have to return a security deposit?
30 days after the tenant surrenders the premises, but only once the tenant has given a written forwarding address. Missing the deadline creates a presumption of bad faith, which carries $100 plus three times the amount wrongfully withheld and the tenant’s attorney’s fees (§§92.103, 92.109).
What is the maximum late fee in Texas?
A late fee can only be charged once rent has been unpaid for two full days after the due date, and must be in a written lease. It’s presumed reasonable up to 12% of monthly rent for a building with four or fewer units, or 10% for larger buildings; initial and daily fees are added together against that cap (§92.019).
More Texas landlord documents
- Texas Residential Lease Agreement
- Texas Eviction Notice
- Texas Security Deposit Return Letter
- Texas Rent Increase Notice
- Texas Notice to Vacate
- Texas Application Approval Letter
- Texas Application Denial Letter
- Texas Background & Credit Check Authorization
- Texas Rental Application
- Texas Co-Signer Guarantor Agreement
- Texas Bed Bug Addendum
- Texas Mold & Mildew Addendum
- Texas No-Smoking Addendum
- Texas Parking & Storage Addendum
- Texas HOA & Community Rules Addendum
- Texas Crime-Free Housing Addendum
- Texas Utilities & Services Addendum
- Texas Early Termination Addendum
- Texas Lease Extension Addendum
- Texas Lead-Based Paint Disclosure
- Texas Military Clause (SCRA)
- Texas Pet Addendum
- Texas Cash for Keys Agreement
- Texas Mutual Lease Termination Agreement
- Texas Lease Renewal Agreement
- Texas Notice of Non-Renewal
- Texas Late Rent Notice
- Texas Lease Violation Notice
- Texas Notice of Entry
- Texas Move-In / Move-Out Inspection Checklist
- Texas Rent Receipt
- Texas Rent Verification Letter
- Texas Tenant Welcome Letter
- Texas Property Management Agreement
- Texas Commercial Lease
- Texas Rent-to-Own Agreement
- Texas Short-Term Rental Agreement
- Texas Room Rental Agreement
- Texas Roommate Agreement
- Texas Spanish Lease Agreement
- Texas Sublease Agreement
Lease Amendment in other states
- Alabama Lease Amendment
- Alaska Lease Amendment
- Arizona Lease Amendment
- Arkansas Lease Amendment
- California Lease Amendment
- Colorado Lease Amendment
- Connecticut Lease Amendment
- Delaware Lease Amendment
- Florida Lease Amendment
- Georgia Lease Amendment
- Hawaii Lease Amendment
- Idaho Lease Amendment
- Illinois Lease Amendment
- Indiana Lease Amendment
- Iowa Lease Amendment
- Kansas Lease Amendment
- Kentucky Lease Amendment
- Louisiana Lease Amendment
- Maine Lease Amendment
- Maryland Lease Amendment
- Massachusetts Lease Amendment
- Michigan Lease Amendment
- Minnesota Lease Amendment
- Mississippi Lease Amendment
- Missouri Lease Amendment
- Montana Lease Amendment
- Nebraska Lease Amendment
- Nevada Lease Amendment
- New Hampshire Lease Amendment
- New Jersey Lease Amendment
- New Mexico Lease Amendment
- New York Lease Amendment
- North Carolina Lease Amendment
- North Dakota Lease Amendment
- Ohio Lease Amendment
- Oklahoma Lease Amendment
- Oregon Lease Amendment
- Pennsylvania Lease Amendment
- Rhode Island Lease Amendment
- South Carolina Lease Amendment
- South Dakota Lease Amendment
- Tennessee Lease Amendment
- Utah Lease Amendment
- Vermont Lease Amendment
- Virginia Lease Amendment
- Washington Lease Amendment
- West Virginia Lease Amendment
- Wisconsin Lease Amendment
- Wyoming Lease Amendment
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