The rule
- Deposit limit
- No limit
- Return deadline
- 30 days
- Interest owed
- Not required
- Itemized deductions
- Required
- The limit
- No statutory limit.
- The deadline
- On or before the 30th day after the tenant surrenders the premises; the landlord need not refund or itemize until the tenant gives a written forwarding address.
- Interest
- State law doesn’t require interest on the deposit.
- Deductions
- The landlord must give you an itemized list of anything kept from the deposit.
- If it isn’t returned
- Bad-faith retention: $100 + 3× the portion wrongfully withheld + reasonable attorney’s fees.
Law: Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.103–92.109
Last reviewed September 30, 2026
Not legal advice. Statutes change; check the linked section.