Dallas, TX Rental Property Rules: Rent Control (2026)
Rent control rules in Dallas, TX, also known as rent stabilization or rent cap ordinances, limit annual rent increases and protect tenants from displacement.
Summary
Dallas has NO local rent control ordinance and is preempted from passing one by Tex. Local Gov't Code § 214.902, which forbids municipal rent control unless the governor approves it after a declared housing-emergency disaster. The Dallas City Code contains no rent stabilization chapter.
Sec. 214.902. RENT CONTROL. (a) The governing body of a municipality may, by ordinance, establish rent control if: (1) the governing body finds that a housing emergency exists due to a disaster as defined by Section 418.004, Government Code; and (2) the governor approves the ordinance. (b) The governing body shall continue or discontinue rent control in the same manner that the governor continues or discontinues a state of disaster under Section 418.014, Government Code.
Full Breakdown
Tex. Local Gov't Code § 214.902 prohibits a Texas city from enacting rent control unless (1) the governing body finds a housing emergency due to a disaster as defined by Tex. Gov't Code § 418.004 and (2) the governor approves the ordinance. Dallas has made no such finding. On a month-to-month tenancy, a Dallas landlord may raise rent on one month's notice under Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001; for fixed-term leases, the rent is set until renewal. Other Texas Property Code Chapter 92 protections still apply: security deposit return within 30 days (§ 92.103), retaliation bar (§ 92.331) covering rent increases issued in response to a protected tenant act such as a repair request or code complaint.
Violations & Fines
No city overage exists because there is no cap. A retaliatory rent increase, one issued within six months of a protected tenant act, exposes the landlord to a civil penalty of one month's rent plus $500 plus actual damages and attorney fees under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.333.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Dallas have rent control?
Can Dallas pass a rent control ordinance?
What protections do Dallas tenants have without rent control?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dallas
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Rent Control in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Dallas County handle rent control.