Bill Text: TX HB1299 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced

Texas House Bill 1299

Introduced

Bill Title: Relating to certain deposits, fees, or charges required to be provided by a tenant or prospective tenant in connection with a residential lease.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-11-13 - Filed [HB1299 Detail]

Download: Texas-2025-HB1299-Introduced.html

	89R4398 SCR-F

	By: Vo	H.B. No. 1299



	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
	AN ACT
	relating to certain deposits, fees, or charges required to be
	provided by a tenant or prospective tenant in connection with a
	residential lease.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1. Section 92.001, Property Code, is amended by
	adding Subdivision (5-a) to read as follows:
	(5-a) "Security deposit" means a security deposit
	described by Section 92.102.
	SECTION 2. Section 92.102, Property Code, is amended to
	read as follows:
	Sec. 92.102. SECURITY DEPOSIT. (a) A security deposit is
	any advance of money, other than a rental application deposit or an
	advance payment of rent, that is intended primarily to secure
	performance under a lease of a dwelling that has been entered into
	by a landlord and a tenant or to secure payment for damage to the
	leased premises.
	(b) Any deposit that a landlord requires a prospective
	tenant to provide to the landlord to lease a dwelling or that the
	lease requires a tenant to provide to the landlord or maintain in
	effect for all or part of the lease term is presumed to be a security
	deposit. Any refundable or nonrefundable fee or charge required by
	a landlord for damages, no matter how designated, is presumed to be
	a security deposit.
	SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies only
	to a lease entered into or renewed on or after the effective date of
	this Act. A lease entered into or renewed before the effective date
	of this Act is governed by the law as it existed immediately before
	the effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in effect
	for that purpose.
	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
	Act takes effect September 1, 2025.