San Antonio, TX Rental Property Rules: Rent Control (2026)
Rent control rules in San Antonio, TX, also known as rent stabilization or rent cap ordinances, limit annual rent increases and protect tenants from displacement.
Summary
San Antonio has NO local rent control ordinance. Tex. Local Gov't Code § 214.902 preempts any Texas municipality from adopting rent control unless the governor approves it after a declared housing-emergency disaster. The City of San Antonio Code of Ordinances has 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 bars a Texas city from enacting rent control unless (1) the governing body finds a housing emergency exists due to a disaster as defined by Tex. Gov't Code § 418.004 and (2) the governor approves the ordinance. San Antonio has made no such finding. Month-to-month landlords may raise rent on one month's notice under Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001; fixed-term rent is locked until renewal. Tex. Prop. Code Ch. 92 still applies: security deposits returned within 30 days (§ 92.103), repair-and-deduct (§§ 92.056–92.0563), and retaliation bar (§ 92.331) covering rent increases tied to a protected tenant act.
Violations & Fines
There is no city rent cap to enforce. 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, court costs, and attorney fees under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.333.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does San Antonio have rent control?
Can San Antonio pass a rent control ordinance?
What protections do San Antonio tenants have without rent control?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Antonio
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Rent Control in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Bexar County handle rent control.