Monitoring the SessionHB 1299
Died in committee
Initial review · graded Oct 20, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade
relating to certain deposits, fees, or charges required to be provided by a tenant or prospective tenant in connection with a residential lease.
Caption from analyzed text · version I.
Whatever the landlord calls it, it’s presumed a security deposit.
The bill says that any deposit a landlord requires to lease a home, or that a lease requires a tenant to keep in place, is presumed to be a security deposit, and any fee for damages, refundable or not and whatever it is called, is presumed to be one too. It touches residential landlords and tenants and prospective tenants in Texas, and it adds a defined term for security deposit to the general landlord-tenant chapter. On the ground, landlords who label damage charges as nonrefundable fees would have those charges treated as security deposits under the existing deposit rules, for leases signed or renewed after the bill takes effect.
Labels: ZOMBIE BILL. Died 2 times: 88R HB 1756 (Did not pass) and this bill (Died in committee). Checked against 88R only.DO-OVER. Reworked text of a bill filed before that died: 88R HB 1756 (Did not pass). Filed in 2 sessions, counting this one. Checked against 88R only.TRY NO. 2. Filed in 2 sessions: 88R and 89R. Checked against 88R only.NEVER GOT A HEARING. Filed Nov 13, 2024 and referred to the House Trade, Workforce & Economic Development committee. No public hearing. The bill died.
89R-HB1299 · 2024-11-13
relating to certain deposits, fees, or charges required to be provided by a tenant or prospective tenant in connection with a residential lease.
Whatever the landlord calls it, it’s presumed a security deposit.
The bill says that any deposit a landlord requires to lease a home, or that a lease requires a tenant to keep in place, is presumed to be a security deposit, and any fee for damages, refundable or not and whatever it is called, is presumed to be one too. It touches residential landlords and tenants and prospective tenants in Texas, and it adds a defined term for security deposit to the general landlord-tenant chapter. On the ground, landlords who label damage charges as nonrefundable fees would have those charges treated as security deposits under the existing deposit rules, for leases signed or renewed after the bill takes effect.
[ ] NONE FOUND
No fiscal note in the loaded record.
No verified beat found.
THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT
CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY
Not tied to this bill.
The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.
Derived itemized flow · Oct 29, 2024 to Aug 25, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.
$25,000.00
Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.
Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
TEC account match.
TeamDerived itemized flow · Nov 19, 2024 to Jan 12, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.
Report IDs: 100988292, 101010418, 101037041.
$4,000.00
Also funds 64 other sitting lawmakers.
Derived recipient stock · Aug 14, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
TEC account match.
TeamDerived itemized flow · on Jul 23, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.
Report IDs: 101034015.
$3,000.00
Also funds 3 other sitting lawmakers.
Derived recipient stock · Nov 8, 2024 to Jul 30, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.
Derived itemized flow · on Feb 9, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.
Report IDs: 101040382.
Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.
$25,000.00
Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.
Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
TEC account match.
TeamDerived itemized flow · Nov 19, 2024 to Jan 12, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.
Report IDs: 100988292, 101010418, 101037041.
$4,000.00
Also funds 64 other sitting lawmakers.
Derived recipient stock · Aug 14, 2024 to Oct 24, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
TEC account match.
TeamDerived itemized flow · on Jul 23, 2025. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.
Report IDs: 101034015.
$3,000.00
Also funds 3 other sitting lawmakers.
Derived recipient stock · Nov 8, 2024 to Jul 30, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
Name match, not a verified identity: normalized filed name and state.
Derived itemized flow · on Feb 9, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.
Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.
Report IDs: 101040382.
No floor vote loaded for this bill.
No fiscal note in the loaded record.
Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.
Filed 2 times: 88R and 89R. Checked against 88R only.
by Rep. Vo, same lead author · Did not pass · reworked
Introduced textLast action, May 11, 2023: Placed on General State Calendar
Relating to certain deposits, fees, or charges required to be provided by a tenant or prospective tenant in connection with a residential lease.
Caption, 88R bill history
Texas House · Filed Nov 13, 2024
03/10/2025 H Referred to Trade, Workforce & Economic Development: Mar 10 2025 2:24PM
Texas Legislature Online · Introduced
Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.
House committee · Trade, Workforce & Economic Development · Final status: Died in committee
Animals
Property Interests--Landlord & Tenant
The text as introduced · 338 words
89R4398 SCR-F By: Vo H.B. No. 1299 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT relating to certain deposits, fees, or charges required to be provided by a tenant or prospective tenant in connection with a residential lease. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 92.001, Property Code, is amended by adding Subdivision (5-a) to read as follows: (5-a) "Security deposit" means a security deposit described by Section 92.102. SECTION 2. Section 92.102, Property Code, is amended to read as follows: Sec. 92.102. SECURITY DEPOSIT. (a) A security deposit is any advance of money, other than a rental application deposit or an advance payment of rent, that is intended primarily to secure performance under a lease of a dwelling that has been entered into by a landlord and a tenant or to secure payment for damage to the leased premises . (b) Any deposit that a landlord requires a prospective tenant to provide to the landlord to lease a dwelling or that the lease requires a tenant to provide to the landlord or maintain in effect for all or part of the lease term is presumed to be a security deposit. Any refundable or nonrefundable fee or charge required by a landlord for damages, no matter how designated, is presumed to be a security deposit. SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies only to a lease entered into or renewed on or after the effective date of this Act. A lease entered into or renewed before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law as it existed immediately before the effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in effect for that purpose. SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2025.
