Austin / Move in guide

Moving into an Austin rental: what Texas and Austin require

By Homzora Team · September 26, 2026

Texas gives renters a specific set of protections at the start of a tenancy, and Austin adds a few of its own, including a cooling requirement. Knowing them before you pay a deposit helps you spot problems while they are still easy to fix.

Before you apply

Confirm that the person offering the home has the right to rent it. Rental scams often use real listing photographs, ask for money before a tour and push for payment by wire transfer or gift card. You can check the owner of record through the Travis Central Appraisal District^[1] and compare the name with the landlord or management company you are dealing with. Once you are a tenant, Texas law also lets you request the name and address of the record owner and any off site management company, and the landlord must provide that information within seven days of a written request.^[2]

In Austin, you can also look up a property's code history before you apply. The city publishes a searchable dashboard of properties registered in its Repeat Offender Program, which covers rentals with repeated uncorrected code violations, and its Citizen Connect tool shows code complaints by address.^[3] A property on that list deserves extra questions.

Applying: criteria and fees

Texas does not cap application fees, so ask for the amount in writing before you pay. A landlord that takes applications must make its written tenant selection criteria available, listing the grounds on which it may deny an application, such as criminal history, previous rental history, current income or credit history. You will usually sign an acknowledgment that you received it. If the landlord rejects you without having made that information available, it must refund your application fee and any application deposit.^[4] Read the criteria first, so you do not pay for an application you are likely to fail.

Austin's fair housing ordinance protects more characteristics than federal law, adding sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, student status and age.^[5] If you believe you were turned down for a discriminatory reason, the city's Civil Rights Office handles complaints.^[5]

Read the lease before you sign

Most apartment communities in Texas use a standard apartment association lease, and house rentals often use a standard residential lease. Both can be changed by special provisions the landlord adds, so read that section with particular care. Several Texas rules bind you only if the lease presents them clearly.

Advance notice of move out: A requirement that you give advance notice of surrender as a condition of your deposit refund is enforceable only if it is underlined or in conspicuous bold print.^[6]
Rekeying charges: A deposit deduction for rekeying when you leave in breach of the lease requires an underlined or bold lease provision.^[7]
Parking rules: In a multiunit complex, parking and towing rules must be provided before you sign, titled as parking rules and shown in capitals, underlining or bold. Most later changes take effect only after written notice.^[8]
Lock changes for unpaid rent: Allowed only if the lease permits them and the landlord follows strict notice rules, and the landlord must give you a new key at any hour.^[9]

Look also for the statement that tenants may have special statutory rights to end a lease early in certain situations involving family violence or a military deployment or transfer.^[10] After everyone signs, the landlord must give you a complete copy of the lease within three business days.^[11]

Money at move in

Texas sets no general limit on the amount of a security deposit for private rentals.^[12] Get a written list of every charge, separate refundable money from nonrefundable fees, and pay by a traceable method. Plan now for getting the deposit back. The landlord must refund it on or before the 30th day after you surrender the home^[6], with an itemized list of any deductions, and it may not deduct for normal wear and tear.^[13] The landlord may wait until you provide a written forwarding address.^[14]

Locks and security devices

Texas requires the landlord to provide, at its own expense, a window latch on each exterior window, a keyed deadbolt or doorknob lock on each exterior door, a keyless bolting device and a door viewer on each exterior door, and a pin lock plus a handle latch or security bar on each exterior sliding glass door. These devices must work throughout your tenancy.^[15] The landlord must rekey any lock operated by a key, card or combination no later than the seventh day after each tenant turnover.^[7] Ask the manager, in writing, to confirm the date your unit was rekeyed.

Smoke alarms and emergencies

Texas requires smoke alarms in each bedroom, in the hallway serving bedrooms when several share a corridor, and on each level of a multilevel unit.^[16] The landlord must test each alarm when your tenancy begins.^[17] After that, report any alarm that stops working, and keep spare batteries, because the landlord generally does not have to replace batteries once you have taken possession of a working alarm.^[17] Landlords with an on site office must provide a telephone number that is answered 24 hours a day for emergencies, and must post it outside the office.^[18] Save it in your phone on moving day.

Flood disclosure and Austin flood risk

Texas landlords must give you a written flood disclosure at or before lease signing, as a lease paragraph, an addendum or a separate document. It must say whether the landlord is aware that the home is in a 100 year floodplain and, separately, whether it has flooded at least once in the past five years. If a landlord fails to give the notice and you then suffer a substantial flood loss, you may be able to end the lease by written notice within 30 days.^[19]

Read the disclosure carefully in Austin, where thousands of properties sit in areas prone to flooding.^[20] Check the address yourself on the city's floodplain maps^[21] and on the FEMA flood map^[22], and remember that standard renters insurance does not cover flood damage.^[23]

Cooling: Austin's requirement

Since July 10, 2025, Austin has required homes, including rentals, to have air conditioning able to cool habitable rooms to 15 degrees below the outdoor temperature, as long as the indoor temperature stays at or below 85 degrees. Window units can satisfy the rule, and owners who do not comply can be cited and fined.^[24] Test the cooling in every room during your move in walkthrough, and report any room that does not cool in writing right away.

Set up utilities on time

Most addresses in the city are served by Austin Energy, the city owned electric utility, so you open an account with Austin Energy rather than choosing a retail provider.^[25] If your new home is outside Austin Energy territory, confirm which utility serves the address, because some nearby areas offer retail choice and others are served by a cooperative or another city utility.^[25] Ask how water, wastewater and trash will be billed. Many apartment communities use a submeter or an allocation formula regulated by the Public Utility Commission, and the lease should explain the method.^[26] Book internet installation early, because appointments can take several days.

Insurance, roommates and promises in writing

Many Austin leases require renters insurance. It is usually inexpensive and covers risks such as fire and theft, often with liability coverage included, but it does not cover flood damage unless you buy separate flood coverage.^[23] If you share the home, each roommate usually needs a separate policy, and you should agree in writing how rent, utilities and the deposit are divided. On a joint lease, each tenant can be responsible for the full rent if a roommate leaves.

If the landlord promises repairs, painting, new appliances or pest treatment before you move in, ask for that promise in writing, ideally as a special provision in the lease with a completion date. Do the same for any agreement about parking, pets or storage. A written commitment is far easier to enforce than a verbal one, especially at large properties where management staff change often.

Know your rights from the first day

Landlord entry: Texas law generally does not set a notice period for landlord entry. The lease controls, and you can ask the landlord to give advance notice.^[27]
Occupancy: Texas generally limits occupancy to three adults for each bedroom.^[28]
Repairs: After you give proper notice while current on rent, the landlord must make a diligent effort to repair conditions that materially affect the health or safety of an ordinary tenant.^[29] Our inspection guide explains the process.
Retaliation: A landlord may not retaliate for six months after you request repairs or make a good faith complaint to a government agency.^[30]

Moving day checklist

On the day you receive the keys, walk through the home before you bring in your belongings. Complete the move in condition form if one is provided, and note every existing mark, stain, crack or malfunction in specific language. Take dated photographs and a short video of each room, including inside cabinets, appliances and closets. Run the water until it is hot, test the air conditioning in every room, open and lock every window and door, and test the smoke alarms. Send the landlord an email listing anything that needs repair, so the date of your report is recorded.

Summer moves in Austin are physically demanding. Schedule movers early in the morning, drink plenty of water, and confirm elevator and loading area reservations in larger buildings ahead of time. Ask whether the building requires a certificate of insurance from your moving company.

Your completion record

Owner and code history checked
Selection criteria received
Signed lease copy received
Rekey date confirmed
Smoke alarms tested
Flood disclosure received and address checked
Cooling tested in every room
Utilities scheduled
Move in photographs and written defect list

Keep these records together for the whole tenancy. See the evidence guide for how to protect your deposit, and use the move in cost calculator to plan your payments.

Sources and official resources

Use the planning tools · All Austin guides

Comparing possible destinations? Read Austin vs. San Antonio Cost Of Living for metropolitan price comparisons, illustrative budgets and the limits of the underlying data.

Put your moving payments on a calendar

Separate the cost of accepting an apartment offer from the cost of moving your household into it. If you are comparing different lease lengths, carry the actual initial payment into this schedule and leave the longer term comparison in its own worksheet. A concession later in the tenancy does not automatically fund an earlier moving bill.

A dated cash schedule is more useful than one large total

Use the following worksheet after collecting the actual written payment requirements for your home. It is an illustrative planning exercise shared across Homzora editions, not a survey of local prices, a recommended deposit or a statement that every listed charge is permitted. Confirm applicable rules separately. The point is to see what leaves your account before the next reliable income arrives.

Begin with money that is available for the move after setting aside your other commitments. Do not include an expected deposit refund, an unconfirmed reimbursement or a future sale of furniture as though it has already cleared. Enter a future receipt on its expected date and test a second version in which it arrives later. This distinction matters even when your total monthly income looks sufficient.

Hypothetical moving cash schedule starting with $5,000
Timing	Assumed transaction	Cash movement	Balance
Before payments	Available moving funds	$5,000 opening funds	$5,000
Fourteen days before entry	Deposit and moving reservation	$1,000 plus $100 paid	$3,900
Two days before entry	Initial rent and utility allowance	$1,500 plus $200 paid	$2,200
Entry day	Remaining moving balance	$300 paid	$1,900
Three days after entry	Essential household purchases	$200 paid	$1,700
Seven days after entry	Assumed income receipt	$900 received	$2,600

The assumed payments total $3,300. The $100 moving reservation is part of the $400 moving bill, so the delivery day balance is $300, not another $400. The assumed $1,000 deposit uses cash even if it may later be returned. Whether the $200 utility allowance contains a refundable deposit, a fee or both must be established from the real provider documents. These amounts deliberately separate a payment schedule from a final expense calculation.

Find the lowest balance before committing

In this example, the lowest balance is $1,700 before the assumed income arrives. If you want to retain $300 for unexpected needs, the remaining headroom at that point is $1,400. The reserve is still part of your money; do not subtract it as an expense and then count it again as a bill. Keep a separate column showing how much of the balance is committed or deliberately retained.

If opening funds were only $3,000 with every other assumption unchanged, the balance would reach negative $300 before the income receipt. Keeping a $300 reserve would require another $600 available by then, or equivalent agreed reductions or timing changes. A positive balance after payday would not solve the earlier shortage. Do not assume a provider will delay payment unless that change has been confirmed.

Make every row traceable

For your own version, add the payee, written amount, due date, payment reference and refund conditions. Record what a reservation payment will be applied toward. When an estimate changes, preserve the old version and explain which row changed. For a shared household, separate the person who pays the provider from the people who reimburse that person. Otherwise the same expense can appear several times or a funding gap can be hidden inside an informal promise.

Before sending money, verify the property, the person authorized to receive payment and the instructions through a contact method you have independently checked. A payment request arriving in an existing email conversation is not enough by itself to prove that new account details are genuine. Keep evidence of what you agreed and of the payment you actually made.

Connect the budget to the existing guide

Use the local sources and lease questions elsewhere in this guide to establish the actual terms, then enter the confirmed figures into this worksheet. Add storage, extra travel, overlapping housing payments, insurance or other services only when they apply to your move. Existing optional provider links can help you request quotes, but a quote is useful only when its scope matches the arrangement you intend to buy. Recheck the schedule after the first ordinary week in the home.

Continue with a focused decision worksheet

Austin Rent Concessions: Compare the Payment Calendar Behind Two Offers

Moving into an Austin rental: what Texas and Austin require

Before you apply

Applying: criteria and fees

Read the lease before you sign

Money at move in

Locks and security devices

Smoke alarms and emergencies

Flood disclosure and Austin flood risk

Cooling: Austin's requirement

Set up utilities on time

Insurance, roommates and promises in writing

Know your rights from the first day

Moving day checklist

Your completion record

Sources and official resources

Put your moving payments on a calendar

A dated cash schedule is more useful than one large total

Find the lowest balance before committing

Make every row traceable

Connect the budget to the existing guide

Continue with a focused decision worksheet

Continue with a focused decision worksheet

Need storage during your Austin move?