Texas Landlord Lock Rekeying After Tenant Turnover (Sec. 92.156)

A Texas landlord must have each security device operated by a key, card, or combination rekeyed at the landlord's expense "not later than the seventh day after each tenant turnover date" (Tex. Prop. Code s. 92.156(a)). The trigger is easy to get backwards: the statute defines the turnover date as the day a new tenant moves in, not the day the old tenant moves out.

The landlord's duty: section 92.156(a)

Section 92.156(a) says a security device operated by a key, card, or combination "shall be rekeyed by the landlord at the landlord's expense not later than the seventh day after each tenant turnover date." The opening words of subsection (a) make it subject to subsection (e), covered below.

Section 92.151(15) defines the term: "tenant turnover date" means "the date a tenant moves into a dwelling under a lease after all previous occupants have moved out." It does not include dates of entry or occupation the landlord did not authorize.

"Rekey" (s. 92.151(10)) means to change a security device "so that a different key, card, or combination is necessary to operate" it. "Security device" (s. 92.151(11)) is a defined list: doorknob lock, door viewer, keyed dead bolt, keyless bolting device, sliding door handle latch, sliding door pin lock, sliding door security bar, or window latch, in a dwelling. A mailbox lock is not on the list.

Who pays: section 92.156(b)-(d)

• Tenant-requested rekeying, (b): "A landlord shall perform additional rekeying or change a security device at the tenant's expense if requested by the tenant." A tenant "may make an unlimited number of requests."
• Cap on what the tenant pays: Section 92.162(d) says the landlord may not require the tenant to pay more than "the total cost charged by a third-party contractor for material, labor, taxes, and extra keys." Overhead (and, for management-company employees, profit) rules for in-house work are in the same subsection.
• Timing of a tenant request: Section 92.161(a) presumes a reasonable time is "not later than the seventh day after the date the request is received by the landlord." Subsection (c) sets a 72-hour presumption in the situations it lists. Section 92.161(e) says this section does not apply to the turnover rekey under s. 92.156(a).
• Landlord's master key, (c): the expense of rekeying for the use or change of the landlord's master key "must be paid by the landlord."
• Interior doors, (d): "This section does not apply to locks on closet doors or other interior doors."

Deducting rekeying from the deposit: section 92.156(e)

If a tenant vacates "in breach of a written lease," the landlord may deduct the reasonable cost of rekeying from the security deposit only if both are true:

1. the tenant vacated the premises in breach of a written lease; and
2. "the lease includes a provision that is underlined or printed in boldface type authorizing the deduction."

Apart from subsection (e), s. 92.156 puts the turnover rekey at the landlord's expense. This article does not cover the rest of the deposit rules; see Chapter 92, Subchapter C.

Worked example: the seven-day deadline

Section 92.156 does not say how to count when the last day falls on a weekend or holiday. The extension rule in s. 24.0042 covers "a period of time prescribed by this chapter," meaning Chapter 24, not this deadline. Plan to finish on or before the seventh day itself, and ask a Texas attorney if the date is close.

Tenant remedies: sections 92.164 and 92.165

Section 92.164(a) applies if the landlord does not comply with s. 92.153 or 92.156(a). The tenant may:

• rekey the device and deduct "the reasonable cost of material, labor, taxes, and extra keys" from the next rent payment (with notice at the time of the reduced payment, s. 92.166);
• serve a written request for compliance and, if the landlord does not comply on or before the third day after receiving it, terminate the lease without court proceedings;
• sue without a request for a court order (if in possession), actual damages, court costs, and attorney's fees, with the exceptions in (a)(3)(D); or
• serve a written request and, after the same third day, sue for those items plus punitive damages if the tenant suffers actual damages and "a civil penalty of one month's rent plus $500."

Subsection (b) replaces the third day with the seventh day if the lease has underlined or boldface language of the kind it lists, and subsection (c) limits that extra time in some cases. Section 92.1641 gives the landlord a defense if the tenant had not paid all rent then due when giving the notice, or had not fully paid costs the landlord requested and s. 92.162 authorizes.

Section 92.165 covers a landlord's failure to meet a tenant's request under s. 92.156(b), 92.157, or 92.158 within the subchapter's time limits. The tenant may rekey or repair and deduct, terminate the lease without court proceedings, or sue for the items listed there, including a civil penalty of one month's rent plus $500.

Common mistakes

• Counting seven days from move-out. The statute counts from the new tenant's move-in (s. 92.151(15)).
• Charging the tenant for the turnover rekey when the lease has no underlined or boldface deduction clause, or the tenant did not vacate in breach of a written lease (s. 92.156(e)).
• Mixing up the two rekeys: turnover rekeying under (a) is the landlord's expense; extra rekeying a tenant asks for under (b) is the tenant's, subject to the s. 92.162(d) cost cap.
• Treating closet or interior door locks as covered; s. 92.156(d) excludes them.
• Assuming the seventh day moves to Monday when it falls on a weekend. This section has no such rule.

Sources

• Tex. Prop. Code s. 92.156 — Texas Legislature, Property Code
• Tex. Prop. Code s. 92.151 — Texas Legislature, Property Code
• Tex. Prop. Code s. 92.153 — Texas Legislature, Property Code
• Tex. Prop. Code s. 92.161 — Texas Legislature, Property Code
• Tex. Prop. Code s. 92.162 — Texas Legislature, Property Code
• Tex. Prop. Code s. 92.164 — Texas Legislature, Property Code
• Tex. Prop. Code s. 92.1641 — Texas Legislature, Property Code
• Tex. Prop. Code s. 92.166 — Texas Legislature, Property Code
• Tex. Prop. Code s. 92.165 — Texas Legislature, Property Code
• Tex. Prop. Code s. 24.0042 — Texas Legislature, Property Code

Related guides

• Texas Security Deposit Deadline Calculator (2026) (free tool)
• Texas Security Deposit Law: The 30-Day Rule and 'Surrender' (2026)
• Texas Forwarding Address Rule: Does the 30-Day Clock Start? (92.107)
• Texas Itemized Deposit List: What to Include and What Not to Deduct
• Texas Bad-Faith Deposit Penalty: $100 + 3x + Fees (s. 92.109)
• Texas Notice to Vacate vs. Notice to Pay Rent or Vacate After SB 38
• How to Count Days for a Texas Eviction Notice (s. 24.0042)
• Delivering a Texas Notice to Vacate in 2026: The Four Methods
• Texas Eviction Steps in 2026: Petition, Hearing, Writ of Possession
• Texas Late Fee Rules: Two-Full-Days Rule, Reasonable Fees (2026)
• Can a Texas Landlord Change the Locks Over Unpaid Rent? (s. 92.0081)
• Texas Landlord Notices by E-mail: s. 92.113 vs. Notice to Vacate
• Why Texas City Eviction Ordinances Can't Override the Property Code
• Texas Tenant Repair and Deduct Rights and Timeline (Sec. 92.056)
• Texas Early Lease Termination for Family Violence or Military Orders
• Texas Smoke Alarm Installation and Repair: Landlord and Tenant Duties

Informational only, not legal advice. Statute text checked against the Texas Property Code (Chapters 1, 24, 91 and 92) as published by the Texas Legislative Council on October 5, 2026. Statutes change every legislative session and a court may read them differently than a summary does; for a dispute, an eviction or anything expensive to get wrong, talk to a Texas landlord-tenant attorney.