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Landlord Retaliation Laws in Texas

Texas bars a landlord, for 6 months after a tenant's protected action, from retaliating by filing an eviction, cutting services, raising rent, ending the lease or interfering with the tenant's rights.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Texas at a glance

Retaliation banned by statute
Yes
Presumption period
6 months
A protected window rather than a formal presumption. Evictions for unpaid rent, damage, threats, serious lease breaches or holding over are not retaliation.
Protected tenant actions
Lease or legal rights, repair notices, complaints, tenant groups
Covers exercising legal or lease rights, repair notices, good-faith complaints to a code agency, a public utility or a civic or nonprofit agency, and tenant organizations.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Texas

Does Texas law prohibit landlord retaliation against tenants?

Yes. Retaliation banned by statute in Texas: yes.

How long after a tenant complaint is retaliation presumed in Texas?

Presumption period in Texas: 6 months. A protected window rather than a formal presumption. Evictions for unpaid rent, damage, threats, serious lease breaches or holding over are not retaliation.

Which tenant actions are protected from retaliation in Texas?

Protected tenant actions in Texas: Lease or legal rights, repair notices, complaints, tenant groups. Covers exercising legal or lease rights, repair notices, good-faith complaints to a code agency, a public utility or a civic or nonprofit agency, and tenant organizations.

Where do the Texas landlord retaliation laws come from?

The rules above come from Tex. Prop. Code 92.331 and Tex. Prop. Code 92.332. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

What this means in practice

Keep a written record of every complaint, repair request and report to a government agency, with dates. A presumption period usually runs from the date of the protected action, so proof of that date can matter.

Retaliation protection does not usually excuse unpaid rent or lease violations. Statutes commonly allow a landlord to raise rent, end a tenancy or evict for a good-faith reason, such as nonpayment, damage to the unit or a rent increase applied to all tenants.

If a rent increase, service cut or eviction notice follows a complaint, read the statute for your state and any local ordinance. Cities and counties may add protections, and a local legal aid office or tenant union can explain how they apply.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.