Give the tenant a signed copy.
Texas Property Code §92.024 requires a complete lease copy to be provided to at least one tenant no later than the third business day after all parties sign.
Read §92.024 ↗Texas / landlord field guide
Know the ground
before you lease.
Texas gives rental agreements real weight. Use this guide to find the rules that shape your lease and daily operations, then check local requirements for your property.
Draft a Texas lease ↗01 / THE ESSENTIALS
Texas rules worth keeping close.
These points come from official Texas and federal sources. They are a starting point, not a complete compliance review.
Handle the deposit carefully.
Section 92.103 generally requires return within 30 days after surrender. Section 92.107 addresses the tenant’s forwarding address, and §92.104 covers deductions and itemization. Do not deduct normal wear and tear.
Read deposit rules ↗Check locks and smoke alarms.
Chapter 92 includes requirements for security devices and smoke alarms. Confirm installation, condition, and any inspection duties before move-in.
Read Chapter 92 ↗Write down the entry policy.
The Texas State Law Library notes that Texas has no statewide statute setting a general landlord-entry notice period. Set a reasonable policy in the lease and check any applicable local rule.
Read State Law Library guidance ↗Disclose flood risk in a signed notice.
For most residential leases of 30 days or more, §92.0135 requires a written floodplain notice. Known dwelling flood damage in the preceding five years also requires disclosure. The required notice must be in a lease paragraph, addendum or separate document signed by both parties at or before execution.
See the official TREC form ↗Include federal disclosures.
For most pre-1978 housing, federal rules require lead-paint disclosures and the current EPA pamphlet before signing. Federal fair-housing duties also apply.
Read EPA guidance ↗Keep required lease notices in the text.
Texas requires bold or underlined repair-remedy language in the lease. Statutory early-termination notices protect rights involving family violence, qualifying sexual offenses or stalking, and military service.
Read Chapter 92 ↗Official references