Texas Landlord Rights to Sue for Damages

Landlord-tenant law in Texas gives tenants many rights but doesn't leave landlords completely defenseless. Under Texas law, landlords may sue a tenant to recover damages in a variety of instances, from physical damage to rental properties to an anticipated breach of the lease agreements. The law restricts landlords in terms of how much lawsuits may seek to recoup, depending on the circumstances surrounding the damages.

In Texas and other states, a landlord may sue a tenant for damages when a tenant vacates a property and gives an indication that he will pay no further rent to the landlord. The landlord is suing for damages and not rent or eviction because this is an anticipatory breach of the lease agreement. The landlord has the right to sue for the remaining reasonable value of the lease agreement.

When a landlord is suing a tenant for damages or rent owed, Texas law requires the mitigation of those damages down to the fair market value for the property in question. The law also requires the landlord to make good faith efforts to re-rent the property and may only sue the previous for unpaid rent up the point where he re-rents the property. Texas law requires no mitigation of damages when a landlord is suing a tenant for damages in an anticipatory breach of a lease. This means a landlord may sue for the full amount remaining on the lease and all other costs incurred resulting from the suit.

A landlord has the right to require a tenant to pay for physical damages caused by the tenant to a rental property outside of normal wear and tear. This is the case in Texas and other states across the country. If a tenant refuses to pay, a landlord may sue the tenant in civil court to recover the funds necessary to repair the damages. If the damages make the property uninhabitable, a landlord may be able to include rent at fair market value in the suit as compensation for the tenant's refusal to pay.

At the end of a lease agreement a tenant may elect to move out of a rental property. The landlord has a duty to inspect the property upon the tenant's departure and determine if any damage exists and make the appropriate repairs. The landlord pays for these repairs using the tenant's security deposit. If the security deposit is not sufficient to pay for these damages, the tenant must supply the remaining amount. If the tenant refuses, the landlord may sue in civil court to recover the necessary costs. The landlord may only use the security deposit and may only sue a tenant for damages caused by the tenant. It is illegal to attempt to force a tenant to pay for pre-existing property damage.