How Long Does a Texas Landlord Have to Make Repairs?

Texas Property Code Section 92.056 presumes seven days is a reasonable time to fix something once a tenant reports a health or safety problem in writing.

The code never names a fixed number of days anywhere else.

A sewage backup or a broken pipe gets no grace period at all, and the clock doesn’t start until written notice reaches wherever you normally pay rent.

Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Notice periods and dollar limits under Texas law are subject to change, so confirm the current rules with the Office of the Texas Attorney General.

What Counts as a Reasonable Time in Texas

A Texas judge decides what counts as reasonable case by case, not off a printed calendar.

The call turns on how severe the problem is, when the landlord received the tenant’s notice, and whether materials and licensed labor were available.

Property Code Section 92.056 presumes seven days is reasonable once a problem materially affects a tenant’s health or safety.

That presumption is a floor, not a promise.

A landlord can push that window wider with evidence, like a specialty part stuck on backorder.

A dangerous problem pushes it narrower instead, and Property Code Section 92.0561 treats a handful of conditions as too urgent to wait a full week.

When the Repair Clock Starts

Texas’s repair clock doesn’t start the moment something breaks.

A landlord’s legal duty only kicks in once a tenant delivers written notice to wherever the tenant normally pays rent.

No notice, no clock.

Send that notice by certified mail with a return receipt, and Property Code Section 92.056 treats one letter as enough.

Sending it any other way calls for a second written notice under Section 92.056, once the landlord has had a reasonable stretch to respond.

The tenant has to be current on rent when that notice goes out, too, or none of this applies.

Faster Deadlines for Urgent Problems

Texas shortens that window sharply for a short list of dangerous conditions.

A sewage backup or flooding from a broken pipe gives a landlord no grace period at all under Section 92.0561.

A tenant can move on repairs right after sending notice.

A total loss of running water, or a complete failure of the heat or air conditioning, gives the landlord three days instead of seven.

The heat-or-cooling category carries one extra catch the water-loss category doesn’t.

For a total loss of heat or air conditioning, a local housing, building, or health official has to notify the landlord in writing that the condition is dangerous.

Only then does that shorter, three-day clock start.

A tenant’s written notice is enough to start the clock on a total water loss; heat or cooling needs that official’s notice too.

How Soon You Can Repair and Deduct

Once one of those deadlines passes without a fix, Texas's repair-and-deduct remedy kicks in.

That covers the seven-day default, the three-day window for a water loss or a heat-or-cooling failure, and the no-wait rule for sewage and flooding.

A tenant has to send a second notice first, one that states plainly that they intend to repair the problem and roughly how.

Vague doesn't count.

The repair itself has to go to an independent company, contractor, or repairman, properly licensed in any Texas city that requires one for the work.

It isn't the landlord's regular handyman.

House Bill 2037 tightened that rule when it took effect Sept. 1, 2025, replacing an older standard that let a tenant hire almost anyone listed in the phone book.

Once the fix is done, the tenant hands the landlord a copy of the paid bill or receipt.

That copy goes over with the next rent payment, the one showing the deduction.

That fix is capped at one month's rent or $500, whichever is greater.

On a $2,000-a-month apartment, that's a $2,000 ceiling.

On a $400-a-month room, the ceiling is still $500, since $500 beats $400.

The ceiling resets every month, so a tenant chasing a second, separate problem in a later month gets a fresh cap to work with.

A tenant on a housing subsidy gets one adjustment: The cap runs against the unit's fair market rent, not the smaller amount the tenant pays out of pocket.

Can You Withhold Rent Instead?

Withholding rent doesn't shorten a Texas landlord's repair clock by a single day.

Texas doesn't let a tenant simply stop paying rent, even after that deadline passes with the problem still unfixed.

Withholding isn't a shortcut.

A tenant who tries it can end up owing the landlord's court costs and attorney's fees.

On top of that, Texas adds a civil penalty of one month's rent plus $500, under a different section of the same law.

That's the exact opposite of a shortcut.

Repair-and-deduct exists precisely so a tenant never has to make that gamble.

If the Landlord Still Won't Fix It

Once a landlord's repair deadline passes and repair-and-deduct's cap can't cover the fix, a Texas tenant has one more option.

A tenant can sue in Justice Court instead.

A judge there can order the landlord to make the repair and award actual damages.

A judge can also cut the rent for the whole stretch the problem went unfixed, reaching back to the date of the first notice, not just going forward.

A judge can add a civil penalty of one month's rent plus $500 on top of that, along with court costs and attorney's fees.

It adds up fast.

FAQ

Quick answers about repair deadlines for renters in Texas.

How long does a landlord have to make a repair in Texas?

Texas law doesn't set a fixed deadline. It gives a landlord a reasonable time, which Property Code Section 92.056 presumes is seven days once a written notice reports a health or safety problem.

Can a Texas tenant withhold rent until repairs are made?

No. Texas law doesn't allow withholding rent, even over a legitimate repair problem.

A tenant who tries can end up owing the landlord's court costs, attorney's fees, and a penalty of one month's rent plus $500.

How much can a Texas tenant deduct under repair-and-deduct?

The deduction can't run over one month's rent or $500, whichever is greater, and that same ceiling applies to every deduction made in a single month.

What counts as an emergency repair in Texas?

Sewage backups and burst-pipe flooding move fastest, with no waiting period at all. A total loss of water or working heat and air conditioning gives a landlord three days instead of seven.

Does a Texas landlord have to fix something that's just cosmetic?

No. The repair duty under Texas law only reaches conditions that materially affect a tenant's physical health or safety, not scuffed paint or worn carpet.

Does a Texas landlord have to repair damage the tenant caused?

No. A broken window from a tenant's accident or a stain from spilled dye falls outside a landlord's repair duty.

When a covered disaster damages the unit instead, Property Code Section 92.054 only delays the repair clock until insurance proceeds arrive.

It doesn't erase the duty to repair.