Rental Property Rules in Houston, TX (2026)
7 verified rental property rules for Houston, Texas, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Just Cause Eviction
Houston has NO local just-cause eviction ordinance. Texas is a no-cause termination state under Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001: a month-to-month tenancy may be ended by either party on 30 days' written notice without stating a reason. Fixed-term leases may be terminated for breach under Tex. Prop. Code Ch. 24.
Houston Just Cause Eviction: No Local Ordinance. Texas State Law Only
Few RestrictionsTex. Prop. Code § 91.001 (Notice for Terminating Certain Tenancies)
Sec. 91.001. NOTICE FOR TERMINATING CERTAIN TENANCIES. (a) A monthly tenancy or a tenancy from month to month may be terminated by the tenant or the landlord giving notice of termination to the other.(b) If a notice of termination is given under Subsection (a) and if the rent-paying period is at least one month, the tenancy terminates on whichever of the following days is the later:(1) the...
Rental Registration
Houston requires owners of multi-family rental buildings that rack up ten or more code citations in a six-month span to register in the city's High-Risk Rental Building Inspection Program. The building official designates the property as an HRRB, the owner or manager must enroll within fifteen days of notice, and registration runs for six months while inspectors track corrections under Code of Ordinances Chapter 10, Article IV, Division 2.
Houston High-Risk Rental Building Registration Rule
Some RestrictionsHouston Code of Ordinances § 10-171(a)-(b), (d)
(a) It shall be unlawful for an owner or manager of a MFRB designated as a HRRB to fail to register their property in the high-risk apartment inspection program. (b) A multi-family rental building (MFRB) shall be designated a high-risk rental building (HRRB) if the MFRB receives ten or more citations in a 6-month period for one or more or any combination of the following: (1) Failure to maintai...
Security Deposit Rules
Texas Property Code Section 92.103 requires landlords to refund a tenant's security deposit within 30 days of move-out, with itemized deductions for damage beyond normal wear and tear; Houston has no stricter local rule.
Texas Security Deposit Rules Apply in Houston
Light RestrictionsTex. Property Code § 92.103
Sec. 92.103. OBLIGATION TO REFUND. (a) Except as provided by Section 92.107, the landlord shall refund a security deposit to the tenant on or before the 30th day after the date the tenant surrenders the premises.(b) A requirement that a tenant give advance notice of surrender as a condition for refunding the security deposit is effective only if the requirement is underlined or is printed in co...
No-Fault Evictions
Texas Property Code Chapter 24 allows landlords to terminate month-to-month tenancies or refuse to renew fixed-term leases without cause, requiring only proper written notice; Houston imposes no just-cause requirement.
Texas Allows No-Fault Eviction at Lease End
Few RestrictionsTex. Property Code § 91.001
Sec. 91.001. NOTICE FOR TERMINATING CERTAIN TENANCIES. (a) A monthly tenancy or a tenancy from month to month may be terminated by the tenant or the landlord giving notice of termination to the other.(b) If a notice of termination is given under Subsection (a) and if the rent-paying period is at least one month, the tenancy terminates on whichever of the following days is the later:(1) the day ...
Tenant Anti-Harassment
Texas Property Code Section 92.331 prohibits landlord retaliation for a narrow set of tenant actions, but Houston has no Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance like Los Angeles or Seattle covering broader landlord harassment.
Texas Retaliation Statute Only; No Houston TAHO
Few RestrictionsTex. Property Code § 92.331
Sec. 92.331. RETALIATION BY LANDLORD. (a) A landlord may not retaliate against a tenant by taking an action described by Subsection (b) because the tenant:(1) in good faith exercises or attempts to exercise against a landlord a right or remedy granted to the tenant by lease, municipal ordinance, or federal or state statute;(2) gives a landlord a notice to repair or exercise a remedy under this ...
Source-of-Income Discrimination
Houston has not adopted a source-of-income antidiscrimination ordinance, so private landlords may legally refuse Section 8 vouchers, SSI, or housing-subsidy income; Texas state law preempts most local SOI protections.
No Source-of-Income Protection in Houston
Few RestrictionsTex. Local Government Code § 250.007
Sec. 250.007. REGULATION OF RENTAL OR LEASING OF HOUSING ACCOMMODATIONS. (a) Except as provided by this section, a municipality or county may not adopt or enforce an ordinance or regulation that prohibits an owner, lessee, sublessee, assignee, managing agent, or other person having the right to lease, sublease, or rent a housing accommodation from refusing to lease or rent the housing accommoda...
Repairs & Habitability
City ordinance sets minimum habitability standards for multi-family rental buildings of three or more units, requiring Fire Code and life-safety compliance, building-numbering rules, and a posted bilingual tenant notice.
Houston Rental Habitability Standards
Some RestrictionsHouston Code of Ordinances § 10-155
In addition to the habitability standards established by Article V and by divisions 4 and 5 of Article IX of Chapter 10 of this Code: An owner of an MFRB violates this division if the MFRB does not comply with: a. All applicable provisions of the Fire Code; b. Sections D102 through D108 of Appendix D (Life-Safety Requirements for Existing Buildings) of the Existing Building Code; ... f. Section...
Looking for Harris County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Houston city rules.
Rental Property Rules in Harris County →