Under Texas Property Code §92.103, landlords must return the security deposit with an itemized list of deductions within 30 days of move-out. Withhold in bad faith and a court can award the tenant three times the deposit amount — plus attorney's fees. Amavera creates the documentation that makes every deduction defensible.
Texas landlords must return the security deposit, less any lawful deductions, within 30 days of the tenant surrendering the unit. Any deductions must be accompanied by a written, itemized description of each charge. Deductions are only permitted for damages beyond normal wear and tear. A landlord who retains the deposit in bad faith — without a written itemization and a good-faith belief that the deductions are valid — is liable for three times the withheld amount plus reasonable attorney's fees.
Texas courts apply the bad faith standard broadly. If a landlord cannot produce documentation showing the unit's condition at move-in — and proof that the deduction reflects damage beyond normal wear — the deduction is presumptively bad faith. That means triple damages plus attorney's fees. The case doesn't have to be large to be expensive.
Most Texas landlords use a paper condition checklist at move-in. Tenants sign it, it goes in a file, and no one looks at it again until there's a dispute. The problem is that a checklist saying "walls: good" is not evidence. A tenant can claim the checklist was inaccurate, the landlord filled it out after the fact, or the damage predated their tenancy. Without photos, you have no way to prove otherwise.
Texas courts regularly see cases where landlords have a signed checklist but no photos, and tenants have a dispute about whether damage existed at move-in. Judges and juries weigh visual evidence far more heavily than written summaries. A timestamped, AI-organized photo report is a fundamentally different class of documentation.
Amavera lets you invite tenants to document each unit's condition at move-in using a guided mobile app. You manage everything from the web portal — no app download required on your end. Every report becomes documentation you can rely on if a tenant disputes your deductions.
Texas has more rental units and more landlords than any other state. It also has one of the highest rates of security deposit disputes in small claims court. The combination of a large rental market, a strict 30-day return deadline, and triple damages for bad faith creates real exposure — especially for landlords managing multiple units across Houston, Dallas, Austin, or San Antonio.
If you manage more than a handful of units, you're running move-in and move-out inspections constantly. Buy a Pro 30 bundle on the portal and invite tenants as each new lease begins — 30 inspection reports at a significant discount, enough to cover a full year of turnovers for most portfolios.
Single reports available at $30 each. Bundles of 3, 5, and 10 also available.
Buy report credits, invite your tenants, and review inspection reports — all from the portal.
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