Texas does not regulate landlord pass-through of utility, capital, or operating costs to tenants beyond lease terms, and Houston has no local ordinance limiting them; submetered utilities follow PUC rules.
In Texas, any charge passed through to a tenant must be authorized by the lease. There is no rent control to defeat, so landlords cannot "pass through" capital improvements as a category since rent itself is unregulated. Submetered or allocated utility billing is the major exception: PUC rules under 16 TAC Chapter 24 require disclosure, billing standards, and cap administrative fees. Section 92.008 also prohibits utility shutoff as eviction tool. Property tax, insurance, or HOA increases may be passed through only if the lease so provides. Houston has not adopted any local pass-through ordinance.
Charging fees not authorized by the lease violates contract law and may breach Section 92.019 (late fee limits) or Chapter 92 utility provisions. Submetered billing violations are reportable to the Public Utility Commission of Texas.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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