Rent control rules in Dallas, TX — also known as rent stabilization or rent cap ordinances — limit annual rent increases and protect tenants from displacement.
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.
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.
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.
Dallas, TX
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Dallas County.
See how other cities in Dallas County handle rent control.
See how Dallas's rent control rules stack up against other locations.
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