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Rental Application Fee Laws in Texas

Texas sets no dollar cap on rental application fees, but a landlord who rejects an applicant without having made the required tenant selection criteria notice available must return the application fee and any application deposit.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Texas at a glance

Fee limit
No dollar cap
Texas Property Code 92.3515 regulates notice of selection criteria, not the fee amount.
Refund required
Only if selection criteria notice was not given

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Texas

How much can a landlord charge for a rental application in Texas?

Fee limit in Texas: No dollar cap. Texas Property Code 92.3515 regulates notice of selection criteria, not the fee amount.

Does a landlord in Texas have to refund an unused application fee?

Only if selection criteria notice was not given. Refund required in Texas: only if selection criteria notice was not given.

Where do the Texas rental application fee laws come from?

The rules above come from Tex. Prop. Code 92.3515 and Tex. Prop. Code 92.351. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

The landlord must make a printed notice of tenant selection criteria available with the application. Texas law defines the application fee as a nonrefundable sum to offset screening costs (Tex. Prop. Code 92.351).

What this means in practice

Before collecting a fee, landlords can tell applicants in writing how much it is, what it pays for, and the screening criteria that will be used. Several statutes require some of this disclosure, and it also reduces disputes when an application is denied.

Keep a copy of the invoice or receipt from the screening company. Where the law ties the fee to actual cost or requires an itemized receipt, that record shows the fee was lawful.

Check local law as well as state law. In many states a city or county ordinance can set a lower limit or add refund and notice rules, and the stricter rule usually applies. A few states bar local rules on application fees.

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