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Texas Security Deposit Deadline: 30 Days and the Forwarding-Address Trigger

Verified state deposit rules

Texas does not cap the amount of a security deposit by statute, but it does set a clear return deadline — and that deadline turns on the tenant’s forwarding address. This guide explains the 30-day rule under Property Code 92.103 and 92.107, why giving a forwarding address in writing matters so much, and what to do if the deadline passes.

The 30-day rule

Under Texas Property Code 92.103 and 92.107, a landlord must generally return the deposit, or the balance after lawful deductions with an itemized description, within 30 days. The precise trigger for that 30-day period is tied to the tenant’s move-out and the forwarding address as the statute describes it, so the safest approach is to give the forwarding address in writing at or immediately after move-out and to count 30 days from the trigger the statute sets out, keeping proof of both dates. If you move out on 1 October and the trigger is met that day, the 30-day deadline would fall on 31 October. Mark it on your calendar; do not rely on memory weeks later.

Why the forwarding address is the trigger

A landlord cannot return a deposit to an address they do not have. Texas law therefore makes the tenant’s forwarding address a central step: without it, the landlord’s obligation to send the refund or statement operates differently, and a tenant who complains about a late refund without ever giving an address is in a much weaker position. Give the address in writing — by email, letter, or a message through a channel you can prove — and keep a copy with the date. A verbal mention to a caretaker or a casual remark is not a safe substitute. If you move again within the 30 days, update the address in writing right away.

No statutory cap, but deductions still matter

Because Texas has no statutory cap on the deposit amount, the amount itself is set by the lease and the market. That does not mean any deduction is lawful. Deductions should still relate to unpaid rent or damage beyond normal wear and tear, and the landlord should provide an itemized description of deductions. Compare each item with your move-in photographs and checklist, and challenge anything that is pre-existing damage or ordinary wear. Keep receipts for cleaning or repairs you carried out yourself.

If the deadline passes

• Recheck the trigger date: move-out date and the date you gave the forwarding address in writing.
• Write to the landlord with both dates, the 30-day deadline, and a request for the refund or itemized statement.
• Keep the lease, move-in and move-out photos, forwarding-address proof, and all correspondence.
• If there is no response, contact a local housing organization or seek qualified advice. Texas law provides for certain consequences when a landlord fails to return a deposit in good faith by the deadline, but the remedy and procedure are fact-specific — check the official source before asserting a particular amount.
• Do not deduct the deposit from rent in a new tenancy or take self-help steps without advice.

Move-out checklist for Texas tenants

Clean to the lease standard, photograph every room, return keys as directed, and hand over or send your forwarding address in writing on the same day if you can. Those four steps, done on move-out day, protect more deposit money than any argument made weeks later. Landlords, for their part, should note the 30-day deadline at move-out, prepare the itemized statement promptly, and send the refund to the forwarding address by a provable method.

What counts as the deposit, and what does not

A Texas tenancy file often contains several different payments, and mixing them up is one of the easiest ways to miscalculate what should come back. The security deposit is the money held as security under the lease, as distinct from rent itself and from a fee that the lease says is non-refundable. That distinction matters because a payment labeled a fee in the lease is not automatically treated the same way as a deposit when the tenancy ends, and a payment labeled a deposit is not automatically the same as last month's rent. Read the lease line by line before move-out: note the exact amount described as the security deposit, any separate amount described as a pet deposit or pet fee, and any amount described as prepaid rent. If the lease is unclear, ask the landlord in writing to confirm which amounts they hold as a deposit and which they hold for another purpose, and keep the reply with the lease. For any label you cannot resolve from the lease, check the official source for Texas and for your city.

How to count the 30 days, step by step

Counting the Texas deadline is a calendar exercise, not a guess. Start by writing down two dates: the date you vacated, and the date you gave your forwarding address in writing. The statute ties the 30-day period to the trigger it describes, so the safest working method is to treat the later of the two relevant steps as your starting point for planning, to count forward 30 days from the trigger, and to note that date as the last day you expect the refund or itemized statement. Do not count from the day you first thought about moving, from the last rent payment, or from the day the landlord inspected the property, unless one of those is the trigger date in your case. If you are unsure which date is the trigger, check the official source and, if needed, seek qualified advice before the deadline passes, because a dispute about the start date is much harder to resolve after the money is already late.

One counting trap is February: a trigger on 5 February gives a deadline of 7 March in an ordinary year, because February has 28 days. A deadline falling on a weekend is not automatically extended in this guide's summary, because no weekend-extension rule for Texas is asserted here — check the official source, and send early if you are the landlord.

Worked examples with dollar figures

Example B: a tenant paid a $1,500 deposit. The landlord deducts $250 for professional cleaning beyond the lease standard and $180 for a broken bedroom door, a total of $430. The balance is $1,500 minus $430, which is $1,070. The tenant should receive $1,070 plus an itemized description showing the $250 and the $180 separately, not a single unexplained line of $430. If the tenant's move-out photographs show the home already clean, or show the door already damaged at move-in, the tenant can challenge the matching item with that evidence, item by item, rather than disputing the whole $430 at once.

Example C: a tenant paid a $2,400 deposit and owes $900 in unpaid rent at move-out, with a further $300 deduction for damage beyond normal wear and tear. The total deductions are $1,200, so the balance is $2,400 minus $1,200, which is $1,200. Example D reverses the balance: a $1,200 deposit against $1,000 unpaid rent and $600 in damage deductions totals $1,600, which is $400 more than the deposit held. In that situation the tenant does not receive a refund, and the landlord may claim the $400 shortfall under the lease and the official source, but the tenant is still entitled to an itemized description that shows how the $1,600 was reached. In every example, the same discipline applies: separate each deduction, attach the evidence for each one, and keep the arithmetic visible so either side can check it without redoing the whole file.

Edge cases that cause most Texas deposit disputes

Moving again inside the 30 days is a common trap. If you give one forwarding address and then move before the refund arrives, update the address in writing immediately and keep proof of the update. A refund sent to the first address in good faith is not the same, in practical terms, as a refund you actually received, so the update protects you and gives the landlord a correct address to use. A related trap is giving the address only verbally, or only to a caretaker, cleaner, or leasing agent who may not pass it on. The written notice should go to the landlord or the landlord's stated contact, by a method you can prove, such as email with a saved sent copy or a letter sent by a trackable method.

What the 30-day deadline does not tell you

One question, one answer: the deadline says when the refund or statement should arrive, and leaves the rest open. It does not decide whether a deduction is lawful, which depends on the lease, the condition evidence, and the official source. It does not set the deposit amount, because Texas has no statutory cap and the lease amount controls, subject to any local ordinance. It does not decide what counts as normal wear and tear, which is a facts-and-evidence question shown by photographs, checklists, and receipts. Nor does it fix the remedy if the deadline is missed, which is fact-specific — check the official source and seek qualified advice before asserting a particular amount. For a broader comparison, see the Rent Rules Explained pillar guide.

Sources

Sources used for this guide: Texas Property Code 92.103 and 92.107 for the 30-day rule and the forwarding-address trigger, the lease for the deposit amount and any deduction clauses, and — for any city rule or any point not covered by those sections — check the official source for your city and state.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a Texas landlord have to return a deposit?

Generally 30 days, under Property Code 92.103 and 92.107, with the forwarding-address trigger described in the statute.

What if I never gave a forwarding address?

The landlord’s obligations operate differently without one. Give it in writing now and keep proof, then seek advice on your position.

Is there a cap on a Texas deposit?

No statutory cap. The amount is set by the lease, subject to any local ordinance.

When does the 30 days start if I give my forwarding address before I move out?

Count from the trigger the statute describes, not automatically from the day you wrote the address. Note both the move-out date and the address date, and check the official source if they fall on different days, so you do not count from the wrong one.

What if I move again during the 30 days?

Update your forwarding address in writing right away and keep proof. A refund sent to an old address you no longer use can delay the money even when the landlord acted promptly.

What if the landlord sends the refund to the wrong address?

Ask in writing for the date sent, the method used, and the address used, then compare those details with your forwarding-address proof and ask for reissue to the correct address by a provable method.

Can a Texas landlord deduct for normal wear and tear?

Deductions should relate to unpaid rent or damage beyond normal wear and tear, with an itemized description. Compare each item with your move-in photographs and checklist, and challenge pre-existing damage or ordinary wear in writing, item by item.

What if only part of my deposit is returned?

You should receive the balance plus an itemized description of each deduction, with amounts. Check the arithmetic — deposit minus each listed deduction should equal the balance — and challenge any item that does not match your evidence.

What should I do on the day the deadline passes?

Write to the landlord with the move-out date, the forwarding-address date, the 30-day deadline you calculated, and a request for the refund or itemized statement. Keep the lease, photographs, forwarding-address proof, and all correspondence together.

Same warning as above: this is general information, not legal advice — check the official source for your city and state.

Last updated: 2026-10-25. Last verified for state rules: 2026-10-25.