Deposits: surrender and forwarding address
Sections 92.103 and 92.107 generally use 30 days after surrender, but the landlord is not obligated to refund or account until the tenant supplies a written forwarding address. Failing to provide one does not forfeit the deposit. Section 92.104 excludes normal wear and tear and contains deduction and itemization rules, including a rent-owed/no-dispute exception. The reviewed Chapter 92 deposit provisions do not supply a numerical cap; this is not a conclusion that any amount is lawful, and special housing-program rules may differ.
Ask before signing
Where do I send my written forwarding address, and how will I prove delivery? Save move-in and move-out condition evidence.
Entry: check the actual lease
The Texas State Law Library says no state laws generally regulate landlord entry; the lease may authorize entry and may or may not require notice. Emergencies and repairs can raise exceptions. Do not invent a statewide 24-hour notice requirement or assume an absolute right to refuse emergency access.
Ask before signing
Can we write down ordinary-entry reasons, advance notice and reasonable times?
Late fees: combine initial and daily charges
Section 92.019 requires the fee to be in a written lease, reasonable, and rent to remain unpaid for two full days after its original due date. It treats 12% for structures with at most four units and 10% for larger structures as reasonableness amounts, not absolute maximums: subsection (a-1)(2) provides another damages-and-costs standard. Initial and daily charges are combined as one late fee. The fee timing is not an eviction grace period.
Ask before signing
If the lease has a 10% initial fee plus daily fees, what is the combined amount and the basis for it?
Repairs: qualifying conditions and notice
Sections 92.052 and 92.056 address diligent efforts for qualifying health-and-safety conditions after notice, with current-rent requirements and tenant-caused-condition limits. Seven days is a rebuttable presumption of reasonable repair time, not an unconditional deadline for every repair. Further notice and procedural conditions govern termination and repair-and-deduct remedies. Do not withhold rent based on this guide.
Ask before signing
Does this lease require written repair notice? Where is it delivered and where will I retain proof?
Termination: one month is not always 30 days
Section 91.001 provides a default for monthly tenancies: when the rent period is at least a month, termination is the later of the stated date or one month after notice. A signed agreement may specify a different notice period or none. This is not a fixed-term break right. Section 91.006 requires mitigation when a tenant abandons in breach and invalidates a waiver of that duty; mitigation is not immediate release from future rent.
Ask before signing
What early-release agreement, reletting procedure and remaining liability apply if I leave during the fixed term?
How Contract Checked helps
Upload your document and get a plain-English report: risk ratings on specific clauses, protections that are missing, and the questions to ask before you sign. Then ask follow-up questions about your own document. You see the credit cost before anything runs.
Check your own contract freeLease guides by state
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Is this clause legal in Texas?
Exact wording, dates, property coverage, local rules and the facts matter. These sources help you ask questions; an AI flag is not an enforceability decision. Ask a licensed local attorney for advice on your circumstances.
Must a Texas landlord always give 24 hours’ entry notice?
No general statewide 24-hour rule is stated by the State Law Library. Read the lease and consider emergencies and repairs.
Are 10% and 12% absolute late-fee caps?
No. Section 92.019 provides these reasonableness amounts and a separate damages-and-costs standard. Initial and daily fees are considered together.
Why supply a written forwarding address?
Section 92.107 conditions the landlord’s obligation to refund or account on receiving it; failing to provide it does not itself forfeit the deposit.