Texas Retaliation Law: What Counts & the Presumption Window (2026)

What counts as retaliation, and the window where the law presumes it

At a glance

• Protection window: 180 days
• Governing authority: Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331(a), (b)

Who this covers — and who it does not

This page covers landlord retaliation in Texas — what a landlord may not do after you exercise a protected right.

It does not cover commercial leases, or conduct outside the protected window described below.

What the law prohibits

Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331：房东不得因租客行使权利、发出修理通知、投诉规范违规、或参加租客组织而在 6 个月内报复。

⚠️ 条号纠正：德州反报复法在 Chapter 92 Subchapter H（§§92.331–92.335），不在 §24.010 —— Chapter 24 全文检索「retaliat」零命中，§24.010 在该章条文序列中也不存在。

Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331(a), (b) ↗

The protection window

For 180 days after a protected act, certain landlord actions are presumed retaliatory.

§92.331(b) 设定 6 个月单向时限，超过后该条的禁止不再适用。德州没有「首次 tenancy 内safe harbor」制度。§92.334(a) 另有一个方向相反的推定 —— 若政府检查员书面认定不存在规范违规，则推定租客恶意行事，该推定不利于租客。

Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331(b); § 92.334(a) ↗

Protected activities

What a landlord may not do

Burden of proof

房东承担举证责任：若房东证明该行为并非出于报复目的，则不承担反报复责任。

这与适居性主题的 §92.053（租客初步举证）结构相反。

Tex. Prop. Code § 92.332(a) ↗

Remedies

Exemptions and limits

六项不构成报复的正当驱逐事由，以及两项涨租例外。

§92.332(b) 的六项：房东发通知或起诉时租客已欠租；租客或其家庭成员/访客故意损坏财产或以言语行为威胁人身安全；租客实质违反租约（holding over 除外）；租客在发出搬离通知后逾期占有；租客在房东发出终止通知后逾期占有且直至该通知后才依 §92.331 行动；租客逾期占有且房东善意相信其可能不利于他人安静享用、实质影响健康安全或损坏财产。§92.332(a) 的两项涨租例外：依书面租约中针对 utilities/taxes/insurance 的 escalation clause 涨租；作为整个多户项目涨租或减服务模式的一部分。

Tex. Prop. Code § 92.332(a), (b) ↗

Sources and how to verify them

Every figure on this page comes from the official text or a state court opinion, not from a summary. The table below lists each provision used and the date it was last checked.

Statute	Last verified	Source
Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331(a), (b)	2026-10-09	official text ↗
Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331(b); § 92.334(a)	2026-10-09	official text ↗
Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331(a)(1)	2026-10-09	official text ↗
Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331(a)(2)	2026-10-09	official text ↗
Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331(a)(3)	2026-10-09	official text ↗
Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331(a)(4)	2026-10-09	official text ↗
Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331(b)(1)	2026-10-09	official text ↗
Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331(b)(2); § 92.301	2026-10-09	official text ↗
Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331(b)(3)	2026-10-09	official text ↗
Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331(b)(4)	2026-10-09	official text ↗
Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331(b)(5)	2026-10-09	official text ↗
Tex. Prop. Code § 92.332(a)	2026-10-09	official text ↗
Tex. Prop. Code § 92.333; § 92.335	2026-10-09	official text ↗
Tex. Prop. Code § 92.332(a), (b)	2026-10-09	official text ↗

Where the official text and a secondary summary disagree, this page follows the official text and says so. Where a provision admits of more than one reading, that is flagged rather than smoothed over.

When you need a lawyer instead of a tool

A self-help guide is the right starting point for understanding your position. Get legal help if:

• You have received an eviction notice — the timeline is now court-driven
• The dispute involves discrimination, unsafe conditions or retaliation
• Your landlord has filed anything in court already
• You are unsure whether a local ordinance changes the state rule

Local legal aid organisations and tenant unions offer free help for qualifying cases. They are independent of this site — we list them because they are the right place to go, not because they link here.

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