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Texas security deposit deadline — and the letter that cites it

What Texas’s deposit statute requires, the deadline computed from your dates, and a ready-to-send demand letter that quotes the rule.

Deadline
30 calendar days after the date you surrendered the premises — counted in calendar days.
Statute
Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.103, 92.104, 92.109
Itemized statement
Required with the return of the deposit
Penalty
If if a court finds the landlord acted in bad faith, the statute provides: a fixed amount of $100.00; 3× the portion of the deposit wrongfully withheld, plus reasonable attorney’s fees.
Rules checked
2026-11-04

The rule this page is built on

Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.103, 92.104, 92.109. The citation and the quoted fragments below come from the official source recorded for this state.

Quoted from the official statute text

“on or before the 30th day after the date the tenant surrenders the premises”

“$100, three times the portion of the deposit wrongfully withheld, and the tenant's reasonable attorney's fees”

Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.103, 92.104, 92.109 — fragments captured from the official source on 2026-11-05.

Sources and review date

This row was marked verified on 2026-11-04.

What the statute says a deposit may be kept for

Deductions limited to damages and charges the tenant is legally liable for; balance plus written description and itemized list of all deductions; normal wear not itemized.

What happens if the deadline is missed

If if a court finds the landlord acted in bad faith, the statute provides: a fixed amount of $100.00; 3× the portion of the deposit wrongfully withheld, plus reasonable attorney’s fees.

Penalty amounts depend on facts a court or agency decides. The letter states the statutory exposure as possible, never as money already owed.

Get the Texas letter

The form asks for the deposit paid, the amount returned, and the dates. You see the whole letter, watermarked, before you pay. $9.99 for the letter, $19.99 for the pack with the follow-up letter, complaint options and the small-claims checklist.

Build my Texas letter — free preview

Questions about a Texas deposit letter

What deadline will the letter use?

The deadline is computed from the dates you enter using the rule recorded for Texas: 30 calendar days after the date you surrendered the premises.

Can the letter claim a penalty?

Where the statute has a verified penalty, the letter states it as possible exposure and names the condition the statute sets. If if a court finds the landlord acted in bad faith, the statute provides: a fixed amount of $100.00; 3× the portion of the deposit wrongfully withheld, plus reasonable attorney’s fees.

What if the landlord sent an itemized statement?

Tell the builder that you received one. The letter acknowledges it and disputes the amounts you say are wrong.

Is this legal advice?

No. It is a self-help document tool, not a law firm. If your claim is large or disputed, speak to a landlord-tenant lawyer or legal aid.