The Texas Security Deposit 30-Day Rule: How Austin Landlords Stay Out of JP Court

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Texas landlords have 30 days from the date a tenant surrenders the property AND provides a written forwarding address to either refund the security deposit or mail an itemized list of deductions, and a bad faith violation costs $100 plus three times the wrongfully withheld amount plus the tenant’s attorney fees. That is Section 92.103, Section 92.104, and Section 92.109 of the Texas Property Code, and the JP court at the Travis County courthouse hears these cases on a regular weekly docket.

Texas Security Deposit Laws: The 30-Day Rule and the Triple-Damages Trap

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Texas landlords have exactly 30 days after a tenant surrenders the property to refund the security deposit or send an itemized list of deductions, and missing that deadline in bad faith costs $100 plus three times the wrongfully withheld amount plus the tenant’s attorney fees. That is Section 92.103 for the deadline and Section 92.109 for the penalty, and yes, those section numbers are worth knowing by heart if you self-manage.

Sounds strict right. Because it is. I have watched landlords lose JP court rulings over a $900 deposit and walk out owing four grand once the math finished. The most common version is not even greed. It is the owner who got busy, missed the 30-day window, and tried to send the itemized list on day 38. By then the legal presumption already flipped to bad faith, and the conversation in court is no longer about the deductions. It is about how much the landlord owes the tenant.

Section 92.103 on Kendall Creek Properties — Austin Property Management

The Texas Security Deposit 30-Day Rule: How Austin Landlords Stay Out of JP Court

Texas Security Deposit Laws: The 30-Day Rule and the Triple-Damages Trap