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Bonham is the county seat of Fannin County in northeast Texas, a small city of roughly 10,000 residents situated about 70 miles northeast of Dallas. While Bonham's rental market is modest compared to major Texas metros, renters here face the same fundamental concerns as renters statewide: understanding deposit rights, knowing when a landlord must make repairs, and recognizing what an eviction notice actually requires.
Texas provides a meaningful baseline of tenant protections through the Texas Property Code — covering security deposits, habitability duties, anti-retaliation rules, and the prohibition on self-help evictions. Bonham has enacted no local landlord-tenant ordinances beyond these state standards, so Texas state law is the primary source of your rights as a renter in this city.
This page summarizes the laws that apply to renters in Bonham as of April 2026. It is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you have a specific legal problem, consult a licensed Texas attorney or contact a local legal aid organization.
There is no rent control in Bonham, and none is permitted anywhere in Texas. Texas state law explicitly prohibits cities, counties, and other local governments from adopting rent control ordinances. The governing statute, Tex. Prop. Code § 214.902, states that a municipality may not adopt a rent control ordinance or other regulation that limits the amount of rent charged for privately owned residential or commercial property. The same prohibition extends to counties.
In practice, this means your landlord in Bonham can raise your rent by any amount at the end of a lease term or, for month-to-month tenancies, with proper written notice (at least one month under Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001). There is no cap on the size of a rent increase, and no government agency reviews or approves rent hikes. Renters facing large rent increases have no local ordinance to appeal to — your options are to negotiate with your landlord, choose not to renew, or seek legal help if you believe the increase is retaliatory (which is separately prohibited under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331).
Although Bonham has no local tenant ordinances, Texas law provides several important protections for renters throughout the state:
Security Deposits (Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.101–92.109): Landlords must return your security deposit — along with a written, itemized list of any deductions — within 30 days of you vacating the unit and surrendering the key. If a landlord wrongfully withholds all or part of the deposit in bad faith, you may be entitled to recover three times the amount wrongfully withheld, plus your actual damages, attorney's fees, and court costs under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.109.
Habitability & Repairs (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.056): Landlords in Texas are required to make repairs that materially affect the health or safety of an ordinary tenant. To trigger this duty, you must give written notice to the landlord and allow a reasonable time to repair. If the landlord fails to act, you may have the right to repair the problem yourself and deduct the cost from rent (up to the lesser of $500 or one month's rent), terminate the lease, or pursue other remedies through justice court.
Notice to Terminate Month-to-Month Tenancy (Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001): If you rent month-to-month, your landlord must give you at least one month's written notice before terminating your tenancy. You are likewise required to give your landlord at least one month's notice before vacating, unless your lease specifies otherwise.
Retaliation Protection (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331): It is illegal for a landlord to retaliate against you for exercising a legal right — such as requesting repairs, contacting a housing code inspector, or organizing with other tenants. Prohibited retaliatory acts include raising rent, reducing services, or filing an eviction within six months of a protected action. A tenant who prevails on a retaliation claim may recover one month's rent plus $500, actual damages, court costs, and attorney's fees (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.333).
Lockout & Utility Shutoff Prohibition (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.0081): A landlord may not change your locks, remove doors or windows, or interrupt utility services in order to force you out of the unit outside of the formal court eviction process. Doing so is a self-help eviction and is illegal in Texas. If this happens, you have the right to re-entry and may seek damages and attorney's fees.
Texas law governs security deposits for all rental properties in Bonham under Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.101–92.109. There is no statewide statutory cap on the dollar amount a landlord may charge as a security deposit in Texas, so landlords set the deposit amount based on the lease agreement.
Return Deadline: Your landlord must return your security deposit — or the portion not being withheld — within 30 days after you move out and surrender possession of the unit (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.103). The 30-day clock generally starts when you vacate and return the keys.
Itemized Statement Required: If the landlord withholds any portion of your deposit, they must provide a written, itemized description of each deduction (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.104). Deductions may only be taken for unpaid rent or to remedy damage beyond normal wear and tear. Normal wear and tear — minor scuffs, faded paint, carpet wear from ordinary use — cannot be deducted from your deposit.
Penalty for Bad-Faith Withholding: If a landlord acts in bad faith by wrongfully withholding your deposit or failing to provide the required itemized statement, you may recover three times the amount wrongfully withheld, plus your actual damages, attorney's fees, and court costs under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.109. To protect your rights, document the unit's condition with photos and video when you move in and again when you move out, and provide your forwarding address to the landlord in writing before leaving.
In Bonham, evictions follow the Texas eviction process set out in the Texas Property Code and the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. Landlords must go through the courts — they cannot remove you through self-help methods.
Step 1 — Written Notice to Vacate (Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005): Before filing an eviction suit, the landlord must deliver a written notice to vacate. For non-payment of rent, the required notice period is at least 3 days unless the lease specifies a shorter or longer period. For lease violations or holdover tenancy, the notice period may also be 3 days unless otherwise specified in the lease. Month-to-month tenancies being terminated (not for cause) require at least 1 month's written notice under Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001.
Step 2 — Filing in Justice Court: If you do not vacate by the deadline in the notice, the landlord may file an eviction (forcible detainer) lawsuit in the Fannin County Justice Court. You will be served with a citation and a hearing will be scheduled, typically within 10–21 days of filing.
Step 3 — Justice Court Hearing: Both parties may present evidence at the hearing. If the court rules in the landlord's favor, you will have 5 days to appeal the judgment to the County Court at Law before a writ of possession can be issued. If you do not appeal, the landlord can request a writ of possession, and a constable will oversee your removal.
Self-Help Eviction is Illegal (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.0081): At no point in this process may your landlord change the locks, remove your belongings, shut off your utilities, or take any action outside the court process to force you out. If a landlord does any of these things, you may be entitled to re-entry, damages of one month's rent plus $500, and attorney's fees.
No Just-Cause Requirement: Texas does not require landlords to have just cause to decline to renew a lease or to terminate a month-to-month tenancy with proper notice. However, a landlord cannot pursue eviction in retaliation for a protected tenant action (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331).
The information on this page is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Tenant rights laws can change, and the application of the law depends on the specific facts of your situation. If you are facing an eviction, a security deposit dispute, or any other landlord-tenant issue in Bonham or Fannin County, Texas, you should consult a licensed Texas attorney or contact a qualified legal aid organization. RentCheckMe makes no warranties as to the accuracy or completeness of this information and is not responsible for actions taken in reliance on it.
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