Texas Security Deposit After Move-Out: 30-Day Deadline, Forwarding Address & Wrong-Address Accounting

The short answer

Texas Property Code section 92.103 generally requires a residential landlord to refund the security deposit on or before the 30th day after the tenant surrenders the premises, but section 92.107 creates an important condition: the landlord is not obligated to return the deposit or provide the written damage-and-charge description until the tenant gives the landlord a written statement of the tenant's forwarding address for the purpose of refunding the security deposit.

That makes the forwarding-address record central when a dispute involves a refund or accounting mailed to the old rental. A tenant should preserve the original written notice, any corrected address, the landlord's response, the postmarked envelope and any USPS tracking or informed-delivery record. If the original notice was ambiguous or contained an address error, sending a corrected written forwarding address that explicitly says it is for the security-deposit refund can remove uncertainty going forward.

Texas uses a 30-day refund rule, subject to the forwarding-address requirement

Section 92.103 states that, except as provided by section 92.107, the landlord must refund the security deposit on or before the 30th day after the tenant surrenders the premises. The statute therefore links the ordinary 30-day rule with the separate forwarding-address requirement rather than treating them as unrelated deadlines.

The Texas Attorney General likewise tells tenants to provide the landlord a new address in writing and explains that the deposit, less lawful deductions, must be returned within 30 days. When the address is supplied only after move-out, the safest practical approach is to document the date the written forwarding address was actually delivered and keep proof.

A forwarding address should be clear, correct and in writing

Section 92.107 does not say that failing to provide a forwarding address makes the tenant lose the deposit. It says the landlord's duty to refund or itemize is not triggered until the tenant gives a written statement of the forwarding address for the purpose of refunding the security deposit.

An email can create evidence of a written communication, but whether a particular email satisfies every requirement can be fact-specific, especially if it uses an incorrect ZIP code, calls the location only a 'move-out address,' or does not clearly connect the address to the security-deposit refund. A tenant trying to eliminate doubt should send a corrected written notice identifying the complete address and stating expressly that it is the forwarding address for the security-deposit refund and accounting.

If the landlord keeps money, Texas generally requires an itemized written accounting

Section 92.104 allows a landlord to deduct damages and charges for which the tenant is legally liable under the lease or because of a lease breach, but it prohibits deductions for normal wear and tear. If the landlord retains all or part of the deposit, the landlord generally must give the tenant any remaining balance together with a written description and itemized list of deductions.

There is a statutory exception to the itemized-list requirement when the tenant owes rent at surrender and there is no dispute about the amount owed. Outside that narrow situation, a portal balance, informal message or unexplained lump-sum charge should be compared with the actual written accounting required by the statute rather than assumed to be equivalent.

What does a postmark prove?

Section 92.1041 says a landlord is presumed to have refunded the deposit or made the accounting if the refund or accounting is placed in the United States mail and postmarked on or before the required date. That provision addresses timeliness of mailing.

A timely postmark does not necessarily resolve every separate dispute about whether the landlord used the correct address, whether section 92.107 had been satisfied, or whether the accounting itself was adequate. Preserve the envelope and mailing record because both the date and the destination can matter when reconstructing what happened.

A wrong-address mailing can turn into an evidence question

When a landlord mails a security-deposit accounting to the surrendered rental even though the tenant says a forwarding address was previously provided, the important evidence includes the exact wording of the tenant's written address notice, whether the landlord or property manager received it, whether the address was complete and correct, and what address appeared on the later mailing.

Do not assume that a wrong-address mailing automatically establishes bad faith or guarantees a particular remedy. Texas law makes bad-faith consequences fact-dependent, and a court may need to decide disputed facts. The strongest record is a dated written forwarding-address notice, proof of delivery, the landlord's mailing envelope, the itemization and the payment history.

Texas has specific bad-faith remedies, but they are not automatic

Section 92.109 provides remedies when a landlord acts in bad faith in retaining a security deposit or failing to provide the required written description and itemization. The statute can allow recovery of $100, three times the portion of the deposit wrongfully withheld, reasonable attorney's fees, and other consequences depending on which subsection applies.

Those remedies should not be described as automatic merely because a deadline, address or deduction is disputed. Coverage, the forwarding-address requirement, the actual mailing record, the landlord's explanation, the deductions and the evidence of bad faith all matter. Preserve the record and use the statute or qualified legal help for a contested claim.

What to preserve before disputing a Texas deposit accounting

Keep the lease, proof of the original deposit, move-out notice, proof of surrender or key return, every forwarding-address email or letter, screenshots showing sent and received dates, any corrected address, the itemized statement, portal ledger, refund check, photographs, invoices, repair records, the postmarked envelope and USPS tracking or informed-delivery images.

If two versions of the accounting exist, keep both. A later or different final statement can matter when evaluating whether the landlord actually supplied the itemized description required by section 92.104 and whether the amounts are consistent.

Use Max Rental Tools to organize the move-out record

Max Rental Tools includes a Forwarding Address Request, Security Deposit Itemization, Security Deposit Refund Statement and Move-Out Condition Report. These documents can help organize the timeline and evidence, while Texas Property Code Chapter 92 and current Texas Attorney General guidance remain the controlling sources for the legal requirements.