Texas Landlord Compliance Kit: Deposit, Notice and Eviction Checklists with an Excel Tracker

Who it is for

Landlords and property managers with rentals in Texas, and tenants who want the same record, from move-in through move-out or a court case.

Not the right fit if

Your rental is outside Texas: get that state's kit. Not legal advice, not a lawyer's review of a lease, notice or court case, and not a set of legal notice forms; city and county rules aren't covered.

Why it is different

• Built only from our Texas data files, checked November 2026 against 15 official pages, among them Texas State Law Library: Landlord/Tenant Law, Security Deposits; Texas State Law Library: Landlord/Tenant Law guide, ending the lease; Texas State Law Library: Landlord/Tenant Law guide, the eviction process; Texas Legislature: SB 38 (2025), enrolled, amending Property Code 24.005; Texas Legislature: SB 1414 (2019), enrolled, Property Code 92.019; Supreme Court of Texas: Misc. Docket No. 25-9096, amendments to Rule 510 (effective January 1, 2026), plus Justia (statute text) and Nolo and National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel (a vetted secondary source, marked in the kit) where no official page could be read.
• 4 items the official pages didn't state are left out of the rules and put on a short look-up list with the page to check, never guessed.
• The workbook recalculates with zero formula errors and works out Texas notice and deposit dates for you.

What is inside

• Start here. How to use the kit, the 19 confirmed Texas rules at a glance and a short look-up list of 4 points to check: interest on the deposit, where the deposit is held, paying to stop the case, diversion or mediation (statewide), each with the official page.
• Texas landlord rules checklist. Deposits, notice periods, the eviction case and the small claims limit, each confirmed rule with its source link and check date. What it confirms: deposit limit: No maximum: Nolo's Texas page says 'Texas state law does not limit how much a landlord can charge for a security deposit', and 92.102 (2025 text on Justia) only defines a deposit; return deadline: On or before the 30th day after the tenant surrenders the premises (92.103); itemized list of deductions: An itemized list of all deductions (92.104); penalty the law states: Three times the part wrongfully withheld, plus other amounts, when withheld in bad faith (92.109); ending month-to-month (landlord): Either side may end it; ending month-to-month (tenant): Either side may end it; rent increase notice: No rent increase notice period on the State Law Library's pages; Nolo's 50-state chart (updated 4/25/2024) says there is no Texas statute on the notice required to change rent or other terms; unpaid rent notice: At least 3 days' written notice to vacate before filing, unless a written lease sets a shorter or longer period; entry notice: No entry notice statute: Nolo's 50-state chart (updated 7/18/2025) lists Texas as 'No statute'; late fee limits: Only if notice of the fee is in a written lease, the fee is reasonable, and rent has stayed unpaid two full days after it was due; court: The justice court for the precinct where the rental is; filing fee: $54 justice court filing fee in both county fee lists read (Gillespie and Taylor), plus a constable service fee for each defendant that varies by county ($80 in Taylor County, $85 in Gillespie County); time to answer or appear: A written answer isn't required; the tenant may file one on or before the trial day; hearing after filing: Trial is set 10 to 21 days after the petition is filed (cases filed on or after January 1, 2026); judgment to writ: No writ of possession may issue before the 6th day after judgment, or more than 60 days after it; writ to lockout: The constable posts a 24-hour notice before carrying out the writ of possession.
• Move-in and move-out deposit checklist. A room-by-room condition checklist for both visits and the steps after move-out, with Texas's return deadline (within 30 days).
• Notice calendar. When each notice must go out: the lead time for every notice the state's text confirms, with a 2027 month-by-month serve-by table worked out with our notice date calculator's rules.
• Eviction timeline sheet. The Texas case in order from notice to lockout, with each confirmed stage, an example dated from a sample filing day where the rules give periods, and blanks for your own case dates.
• Texas landlord workbook (Excel). A tenant notice log that dates each notice from the Texas rules, a deposit tracker that works out the return date for each move-out, and a rent ledger with a running balance.