Texas Tenant Welcome Letter
A tenant welcome letter is the friendly first document a Texas tenant gets at move-in. It confirms the practical details — rent, keys, utilities and who to call — in one place, while the signed lease remains the controlling agreement.
What it is
A welcome letter is a short move-in letter from landlord to tenant that welcomes the tenant, restates the key practical terms already in the lease, and gives contact and maintenance instructions. It is an information letter, not a second lease, and it should never contradict the lease.
When to use it
- At signing or key handover for a new tenancy
- When a tenant moves in under a renewal with new contact or payment details
- When management or the rent-payment method changes at the start of a tenancy
What to include — checklist
Print this page to use the checklist on paper.
- Landlord and tenant names exactly as they appear in the lease
- Property address, including unit number, and the move-in date
- Rent amount, due date and exactly how and where to pay
- Security deposit amount received, stated the same way the lease states it
- Keys, remotes, mailbox and parking details handed over
- Which utilities the tenant must place in their own name, and by when
- How to request maintenance and what counts as an emergency, with a phone number
- Any house rules already in the lease (parking, trash, quiet hours) — copied, not invented
- Landlord or manager signature, date and a copy for the tenant's file
Texas-specific requirements
- Texas Property Code §92.019: a landlord may not collect a late fee unless it is in a written lease and is reasonable, and rent must have remained unpaid at least two full days after the due date. If the welcome letter mentions a late fee, it must match the lease exactly — never state a fee the lease does not contain.
- A late fee is presumed reasonable under §92.019 up to 12% of the period's rent for a structure with 4 or fewer dwelling units, or 10% for a structure with more than 4 units. That presumption is about the lease fee, not a licence to add a different figure in a letter.
- Texas Property Code §92.103(a): a landlord shall refund a security deposit on or before the 30th day after the tenant surrenders the premises. A welcome letter can usefully tell the tenant now that a forwarding address will be needed at move-out.
- No single statewide Texas welcome-letter form was verified for this page. Treat the letter as a courtesy summary and let the written lease control any conflict.
Statute references are included only where verified for this page. Where a rule depends on your lease or local court, the page says so instead of guessing.
Common mistakes
- Promising repairs, upgrades or services that are not in the lease
- Stating a late fee, grace period or rent amount that differs from the lease
- Forgetting the emergency maintenance contact — the detail tenants need first
- Handing over keys with no written record of what was handed over
- Making the letter sound like new lease terms the tenant never signed
Where landlords get this form
These providers publish Texas-specific landlord forms and document tools. We describe them here for comparison — we do not link out from this pilot site yet.
| Provider | Best described as | What to check before you buy |
|---|---|---|
| LawDepot | DIY legal-document builder covering leases, applications and notices, form by form or by subscription. | Whether the Texas version is included in a free trial, subscription, or single-document price. |
| ezLandlordForms | Landlord-focused forms library built specifically around rentals, screening and state lease packages. | Whether you need a single form or its Texas state package, and what updates are included. |
| Rocket Lawyer | Document builder bundled with membership options that can include attorney Q&A services. | What the membership includes after any trial, and how cancellation works. |
| LegalZoom | Well-known legal-services platform, strongest on business formation and broader legal products, with some landlord documents. | Whether the exact landlord form you need is offered for Texas, versus a business product. |
Partner links activate after approval. When partnerships are approved, links on this page may become affiliate links and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That will be disclosed here before any link goes live.
Texas Landlord Paperwork Pack — $19
A printable bundle of the Texas checklists and letter templates from this site, organized in the order a small landlord actually uses them: application, lease signing, move-in, late rent, renewal, move-out and deposit return.
Get the Texas Landlord Pack — $19
Sold and delivered by Gumroad (Open Line Press). Instant download: print-ready pack + editable source.
Frequently asked questions
- Is a welcome letter legally required in Texas?
- No specific statewide welcome-letter form was verified for this page. It is a practical move-in document, not a substitute for the lease, disclosures or receipts your lease and current law require.
- Does a welcome letter change the lease?
- It should not. Write it as a summary of the lease and say the lease controls if anything differs. New terms belong in a signed lease or amendment, not a welcome letter.
- When should the tenant get it?
- At signing or key handover, so the payment, utility and maintenance details are in hand before the first problem or the first rent due date.
- Should I repeat the deposit amount in the letter?
- Yes, exactly as the lease and receipt record it. Consistent move-in paperwork makes the move-out accounting — due within 30 days after surrender under §92.103 — much easier to support.