Find Out How Late Fees, Repairs, Landlord Entry, Visitors & More Work at Ultra-Upscale Rentals in Texas
Renting a high-end apartment in Texas comes with a lot of perks! From mind-blowing amenities to wildly convenient services, the luxury apartment scene in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, and throughout Texas keeps upping the ante in terms of elegance and comfort.
Beyond the glitter and opulence, however, there are also some basic “rules” — and renter’s rights — that come into play when you’re leasing a luxury apartment in the Lone Star state. Those rules and rights can affect:
- Your rent payments and potential late fees
- Luxury apartment repairs
- Landlord entry into a rental
- Visitors
- And more
Knowing the rules and rights associated with high-end rentals in Texas can be incredibly helpful when it’s time to:
- Review a new lease agreement: As you review a lease for a luxury apartment, you can keep an eye out for any terms that are “off,” unreasonable, or overstep your tenant’s rights.
- Consider whether you want to renew a lease: As you approach the end of your lease, you can look back at how your landlord respected the rules and your rights. If they didn’t, it’s likely in your best interests to start looking for a new luxury apartment at least 4 to 6 weeks before your lease is up.
5 Key Rules & Rights for Luxury Apartment Renters in Texas
Whenever you’re renting an ultra-upscale apartment in the Lone Star State, Texas laws put some rules and rights in place to protect both landlords and you, the renter.
The following aren’t all of the rights and rules associated with luxury apartments in Texas, but they are some associated with the more hot-button issues that tend to come up with high-end apartment rentals in Texas.
1. Rent Payments & Potential Late Fees
Rent rates for Texas luxury apartments are not restricted by any laws. In other words, landlords can charge whatever they want for their high-end rentals; that includes studios, one- to three-bedroom units, and penthouses.
Similarly, there are no caps on rent increases for super-luxe apartments in Texas. Leasing agencies and landlords can issue rent hikes whenever they want, as long as:
- They provide proper notice.
- The rent increases when the lease is up (or nearly expired).
In terms of late fees, landlords can’t charge late fees if rent is paid in full within two days after it’s due. Also, landlords have to accept cash for rent payments unless the lease specifically bars cash payments for rent.
Pro Tip: Get receipts for rent payments, especially late rent payments or those paid in cash. Paperwork gets lost, and digital systems can get buggy; if anything goes wrong and your landlord says you haven’t paid rent when you really have, your receipts can be a real safety net here, quickly clarifying the truth.
2. Luxury Apartment Repairs
In general, landlords are responsible for repairing:
- Broken items in units
- Anything that could threaten renters’ health and safety.
The exception here is when a renter has improperly used certain items, breaking them in the process. So, for example, if a renter has shoved a bunch of coffee grounds, potato peels, or bones down their garbage disposal, breaking it, the renter — and not necessarily the landlord — may be on the hook for the repair costs.
Additionally, it’s crucial to note that landlords aren’t necessarily responsible for fixing items that don’t impact a renter’s health and safety. That could apply to major appliances, for instance. Still, most landlords of luxe apartments will want to make repairs to their units ASAP to keep them in optimal shape.
Pro Tip: Carefully read a lease’s terms regarding repairs. Ask questions if needed, and keep a copy of your lease in a safe place, so you can easily reference it whenever needed in the future.
3. Landlord Entry into a Rental
When you’re renting a super-luxe apartment in Texas, your landlord does NOT have carte blanche to enter your unit whenever they want. Instead, the terms of your lease should specify when the landlord has the right to enter the apartment.
Generally, landlords of luxury apartments will only have the right to enter those units when:
- There’s an emergency.
- They need to complete repairs.
- They need to conduct routine inspections, like smoke detector inspections.
- They have provided proper notice to enter the unit.
As a renter, you have the right to privacy in your luxury apartment. You also have the right to choose who enters the high-end rental you’re leasing.
Pro Tip: Consider asking your landlord about putting your own keyed lock on the door. If this is an option, get written permission from your landlord to do this and/or make sure it’s explicitly included in the terms of your lease. That may help you avoid having to pay later (out of your security deposit) to “fix” the lock when you move out.
4. Visitors
You can have any visitors you want over at your luxury apartment in Texas, as long as your visitors:
- Abide by the terms of your lease: This can refer to the rules regarding noise, parking facilities, the use of common amenities, and more. You and your guests will both have to comply with these rules, which should be detailed in your lease or tenant handbook.
- Don’t disturb other tenants: Your visitors can’t solicit other tenants, cause excessive noise, or disrupt the other renters in other ways (like parking in reserved parking spots, for instance).
- Don’t cross the line into “occupant” territory: If visitors spend too many nights in a row at your rental, the landlord could start to view those visitors as tenants, possibly creating problems for you and your lease.
Pro Tip: Don’t receive any mail for visitors. If you’re going to have a visitor stay over for more than a night or two, give your landlord a head’s up.
5. More
Beyond rent, repairs, landlord entry, and visitors, the rules and rights associated with Texas luxury apartments can pertain to a whole lot more, including (but not limited to):
- Parking and towing
- Disability access
- Locks and security devices
- Landlord retaliation against tenants (for making repair requests or reporting a landlord’s wrongdoings)
- When landlords can remove tenants’ property
Noted before and exceptionally crucial to repeat, this is why it’s so essential to carefully read the lease, reviewing every term, before you sign it.
If the terms are off, you can try to renegotiate them or ask the landlord to change them. If that’s not possible, you want to know that before you’re locked into a potentially problematic contract with a landlord who may not operate totally above board.
Pro Tip: Check out luxury apartment reviews online when you’re touring different options — and before you sign a lease. These reviews can tell you a lot about what you can expect from different landlords and leasing companies, shedding important light on the less savory landlords while showcasing the better ones.
How to Find the Best Super-Luxe Rentals in Texas & Get Cash Back
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