LOCAL RULES

Texas rental inspection report requirements

Your Texas rental inspection report has 5 rules to meet. ReportDraft puts every one on your checklist and checks your draft before you sign.

  • A working test of each smoke alarm at the start of the tenancy
  • Rekeying within 7 days after the tenant turnover
  • The 30-day refund
Start free: draft your Texas report

ReportDraft Landlord from $9 a month. 14-day free trial with your first report and up to 5 template downloads. Card required, nothing charged today, cancel anytime. Need just one? One rental inspection report for $19, no subscription.

Texas does not require a move-in condition checklist, but the Property Code sets two duties that belong in the move-in report, testing every smoke alarm and rekeying the locks, and strict rules for the deposit at move-out: 30 days, an itemized list, and nothing for normal wear and tear. Here is each rule with a link to the Texas Property Code, and how your walkthrough notes become the reports behind them.

Last reviewed October 9, 2026 against the official sources listed below.

Rental inspectionTEXAS / SAMPLE

Sample notes, 87 words

Move-in inspection
Address: 22 Cedar Court, Unit 4B, Austin, TX
Date: 2026-09-30
Landlord: Pinecrest Property Management
Tenant: Jordan Lee and Priya Raman
...
FREE PREVIEW OF THESE NOTES
79%of your draft is ready from these notes

We sorted 13 items into 6 sections and flagged 5 to fix soon.

  • Fix soonLiving and dining areas

    Carpet has a stain near the sofa wall.

  • Fix soonKitchen

    Dishwasher not working.

  • Fix soonKitchen

    Counter chipped near the sink.

5 Texas rules on your checklist, including a working test of each smoke alarm at the start of the tenancy.

Still to add

  • RecommendedNotes for entry and hallways
  • RecommendedNotes for laundry and utility

Filled in for you

Inspection typeMove-in
Rental unit address22 Cedar Court, Unit 4B, Austin, TX
Inspection dateSep 30, 2026
Landlord or property managerPinecrest Property Management
Start free and draft yours

14 days free, nothing to pay today. After your first report, your name, license and company details fill in by themselves. Or preview your own notes first, no sign-up.

What Texas requires

  • At the beginning of the tenant's possession, the landlord makes sure each smoke alarm is in good working order by testing it with smoke, with its test button, or by the manufacturer's recommended testTexas Property Code s. 92.258 (b)
  • The landlord installs at least one smoke alarm in each separate bedroom, one in a corridor serving several bedrooms, and at least one on each levelTexas Property Code s. 92.255 (a)
  • Security devices operated by a key, card or combination are rekeyed at the landlord's expense no later than the seventh day after each tenant turnover; closet and other interior door locks are excludedTexas Property Code s. 92.156 (a) and (d)
  • The landlord refunds the security deposit on or before the 30th day after the tenant surrenders the premisesTexas Property Code s. 92.103 (a) · Texas Attorney General, Renter's Rights
  • If any of the deposit is kept, the landlord gives the tenant the balance with a written description and itemized list of all deductions; the list is not needed only where the tenant owes rent and the amount is not in disputeTexas Property Code s. 92.104 (c) · Texas Attorney General, Renter's Rights
  • No part of the deposit may cover normal wear and tear, meaning deterioration from the intended use of the dwelling; deterioration from negligence, carelessness, accident or abuse by the tenant, their household or guests is not wear and tearTexas Property Code ss. 92.104 (b) and 92.001 · Texas Attorney General, Renter's Rights
  • The landlord need not return the deposit or describe deductions until the tenant gives a written forwarding address, but a tenant does not lose the refund or the description just by not giving oneTexas Property Code s. 92.107
  • Missing the 30 days without a refund or itemization is presumed bad faith. Bad-faith retention costs 100 dollars plus three times the amount wrongfully withheld and attorney's fees; a bad-faith failure to itemize forfeits the right to withhold any of the deposit or to sue for damage to the premisesTexas Property Code s. 92.109 (a), (b) and (d)
  • When a tenant sues over the deposit, the landlord has the burden of proving that keeping any part of it was reasonableTexas Property Code s. 92.109 (c)
  • Where the lease required no security deposit, the landlord notifies the tenant in writing of a claim for damages and charges before reporting it to a credit bureau or debt collector, or forfeits the right to collect itTexas Property Code s. 92.110

Move-in duties that belong in the report

At the beginning of the tenant's possession, the landlord confirms each smoke alarm works by testing it with smoke, pressing its test button, or following the maker's test procedure. The Code also sets where alarms go: at least one in each separate bedroom, one in a corridor that serves several bedrooms, and at least one on every level.

Locks operated by a key, card or combination are rekeyed at the landlord's expense within seven days after each tenant turnover. Closet and other interior door locks are excluded. Recording the alarm tests and the rekeying in the move-in report gives both sides a dated record.

The 30-day refund and the itemized list

The landlord refunds the deposit on or before the 30th day after the tenant surrenders the premises. Whatever is kept comes with a written description and itemized list of all deductions; the only exception is rent the tenant owes when the amount is not in dispute.

The landlord does not have to send the refund or the list until the tenant gives a written forwarding address. A tenant who does not give one still keeps the right to the refund and the description.

Wear and tear versus damage

No part of the deposit may cover normal wear and tear, which the Code defines as deterioration that results from the intended use of the dwelling. Deterioration caused by negligence, carelessness, an accident or abuse by the tenant, their household or their guests is not wear and tear.

The Attorney General's guidance puts it plainly: a carpet that is simply more worn after a year of walking on it is wear, while a carpet that mildews after a leak can be charged. Notes that say what happened to each item make that call easier to defend.

What happens when it goes wrong

Missing the 30 days without a refund or itemization is presumed to be bad faith. Keeping a deposit in bad faith costs 100 dollars plus three times the amount wrongfully withheld and the tenant's attorney's fees, and failing to itemize in bad faith forfeits the right to keep any of the deposit or to sue for damage to the premises.

In a deposit lawsuit the landlord must prove that what was kept was reasonable. Where a lease took no deposit at all, the landlord gives the tenant written notice of a damage claim before reporting it to a credit bureau or debt collector.

From walkthrough notes to a finished Texas report

At move-in, note each room, every smoke alarm you tested and where it is, and whether the exterior locks were rekeyed. At move-out, note each item of damage and what caused it if you know. ReportDraft turns the notes into a room-by-room report with smoke alarms and locks as their own items, damage described line by line for the itemized list, and the tenant's forwarding address in the header.

Both reports follow the same rooms and items, so the move-out report reads as a comparison with the move-in one.

Common mistakes

  • Handing over the keys without testing every smoke alarm at the start of the tenancy.
  • Waiting more than seven days after a tenant turnover to rekey the exterior locks.
  • Keeping deposit money for normal wear and tear from ordinary use.
  • Sending the refund or the itemized list after the 30th day, which is presumed bad faith.
  • Keeping part of the deposit without a written description and itemized list of each deduction.

Sources

Last reviewed October 9, 2026. Next review due January 9, 2027. This page explains published rules to help you write your report. It is not legal advice; the official text linked above governs.