Are Rental Application Fees Legal in Texas?
What Texas lets a landlord charge to apply — and how that compares to what screening actually costs.
no cap — Texas doesn't cap the application fee, but the landlord must make its tenant-selection criteria available and notify you of the reason for any denial. If the landlord doesn't provide the criteria or an acknowledgment, the application fee must be refunded.
A full tenant screen costs a landlord about $30. Landlords typically charge applicants $55 — so any fee well above ~$30 is mostly markup, and in Texas that overage is refundable or unlawful.
| Cap type | No cap |
|---|---|
| The legal line | no cap |
| Refund rights | Refundable if the landlord failed to provide its tenant-selection criteria/acknowledgment. |
| Receipt required | Not specified |
| Reusable screening report | Not specified |
| Statute | Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.351–92.354 |
Check your Texas application fee
We'll compare it to the law and the real cost of screening.
How Texas compares
See every state's cap, the real cost of screening, and the markup landlords add — the full picture in one place.
Informational only, not legal advice — verify Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.351–92.354 and current screening costs before acting.