Texas Property Code 92.0563 – Tenant’s Judicial Remedies
(a) A tenant’s judicial remedies under § 92.056 shall include:
(1) an order directing the landlord to take reasonable action to repair or remedy the condition;
(2) an order reducing the tenant’s rent, from the date of the first repair notice, in proportion to the reduced rental value resulting from the condition until the condition is repaired or remedied;
(3) a judgment against the landlord for a civil penalty of one month‘s rent plus $500;
(4) a judgment against the landlord for the amount of the tenant’s actual damages; and
(5) court costs and attorney’s fees, excluding any attorney’s fees for a cause of action for damages relating to a personal injury.
(b) A landlord who knowingly violates § 92.006 by contracting orally or in writing with a tenant to waive the landlord’s duty to repair under this subchapter shall be liable to the tenant for actual damages, a civil penalty of one month’s rent plus $2,000, and reasonable attorney’s fees. For purposes of this subsection, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that the landlord acted without knowledge of the violation. The tenant shall have the burden of pleading and proving a knowing violation. If the lease is in writing and is not in violation of § 92.006, the tenant’s proof of a knowing violation must be clear and convincing. A mutual agreement for tenant repair under Subsection (g) of § 92.0561 is not a violation of § 92.006.
Terms Used In Texas Property Code 92.0563
- Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- in writing: includes any representation of words, letters, or figures, whether by writing, printing, or other means. See Texas Government Code 312.011
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Justice: when applied to a magistrate, means justice of the peace. See Texas Government Code 312.011
- Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
- Month: means a calendar month. See Texas Government Code 312.011
- Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
- Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
(c) The justice, county, and district courts have concurrent jurisdiction in an action under Subsection (a).
(d) If a suit is filed in a justice court requesting relief under Subsection (a), the justice court shall conduct a hearing on the request not earlier than the sixth day after the date of service of citation and not later than the 10th day after that date.
(e) A justice court may not award a judgment under this section, including an order of repair, that exceeds $20,000, excluding interest and costs of court.
(f) An appeal of a judgment of a justice court under this section takes precedence in county court and may be held at any time after the eighth day after the date the transcript is filed in the county court. An owner of real property who files a notice of appeal of a judgment of a justice court to the county court perfects the owner’s appeal and stays the effect of the judgment without the necessity of posting an appeal bond.