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Levelland is the county seat of Hockley County in the South Plains region of West Texas, with a population of roughly 12,000 residents. A significant share of Levelland households are renters, many tied to the local agricultural economy and South Plains College. Renters here most commonly search for answers about security deposit returns, repair obligations, and what notice a landlord must give before ending a lease or raising rent.
Because Levelland has enacted no local tenant protection ordinances, all renter rights in the city flow directly from the Texas Property Code. Texas law provides meaningful baseline protections — including habitability standards, deposit return deadlines, anti-retaliation rules, and a prohibition on self-help evictions — but it also gives landlords broad latitude to set and raise rents without any cap or local oversight.
This article is informational only and is not a substitute for legal advice. Tenant rights law can change, and individual circumstances vary. If you have a specific legal problem, contact a licensed attorney or a legal aid organization serving West Texas.
Levelland has no rent control, and Texas state law makes it impossible for any Texas city or county to enact one. Tex. Prop. Code § 214.902 expressly preempts all local rent control ordinances, declaring that a municipality or county may not enact, enforce, or maintain any ordinance that controls the amount of rent charged for privately owned residential or commercial rental property.
In practice, this means your landlord in Levelland can raise your rent by any dollar amount at the end of your lease term or, for month-to-month tenants, with the proper advance written notice required under Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001. There is no percentage cap, no requirement to justify the increase, and no city agency to complain to about the size of a rent hike. Renters whose leases are up for renewal have the choice to accept the new rent, negotiate with the landlord, or vacate.
While this is the current legal reality, it makes other state-level protections — particularly those governing deposits, habitability, and retaliation — all the more important for Levelland tenants to understand and assert.
The Texas Property Code provides the full set of tenant protections that apply in Levelland. Key protections include:
Security Deposits (Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.101–92.109): Texas law imposes no cap on the amount a landlord may charge for a security deposit, but it does strictly regulate the return process. Landlords must refund the deposit — or provide a written, itemized accounting of any deductions — within 30 days of the tenant surrendering the unit. Wrongful withholding can expose a landlord to liability for three times the withheld amount plus the tenant's attorney's fees (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.109).
Habitability & Repairs (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.056): Landlords are required to make repairs that materially affect the health or safety of an ordinary tenant within a reasonable time after receiving written notice. If a landlord fails to act, a tenant may have the right to repair-and-deduct (up to the lesser of $500 or one month's rent), terminate the lease, or seek a court remedy. The tenant must be current on rent and must have given proper written notice before exercising these remedies.
Notice to Terminate a Month-to-Month Tenancy (Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001): Either party may terminate a month-to-month lease by giving at least one month's written notice before the termination date. If a written lease sets a different notice period, that period controls so long as it is not less than the statutory minimum agreed in writing.
Anti-Retaliation (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331): A landlord may not retaliate against a tenant for, among other things, filing a good-faith complaint with a housing authority, requesting repairs, or organizing with other tenants. Prohibited retaliatory actions include raising rent, reducing services, or filing or threatening an eviction. 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): Self-help eviction is illegal in Texas. A landlord may not change the locks, remove doors or windows, or shut off utilities to force a tenant out without first obtaining a court judgment and a writ of possession. A tenant who is illegally locked out may recover actual damages, one month's rent or $500 (whichever is greater), court costs, and attorney's fees.
Texas imposes no statutory cap on security deposit amounts in Levelland, so landlords may charge whatever the rental market will bear. Once you move out, however, strict rules govern what happens next.
Return deadline: Under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.103, a landlord must return your security deposit — or deliver a written, itemized list of deductions along with any remaining balance — no later than 30 days after you surrender the dwelling. Surrendering the dwelling means returning keys and vacating the unit.
Itemization requirement: If the landlord withholds any portion of the deposit, they must provide a written description of each deduction and the dollar amount. Normal wear and tear cannot lawfully be deducted (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.104).
Penalty for wrongful withholding: If a landlord wrongfully retains a deposit in bad faith, you may sue and recover three times the amount wrongfully withheld, plus $100, plus your reasonable attorney's fees (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.109). To preserve these rights, you should provide your landlord with a written forwarding address in advance of or at move-out, as the 30-day clock does not begin until the landlord receives that address.
Evictions in Levelland follow the Texas eviction process established in Tex. Prop. Code Chapter 24 and the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. A landlord must go through the courts to remove a tenant — there is no legal shortcut.
Step 1 — Written Notice to Vacate: Before filing in court, a landlord must deliver a written notice to vacate. For nonpayment of rent, the minimum notice period is 3 days unless the lease specifies a shorter or longer period (Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005). For lease violations or holdover tenancies, the notice period may vary based on the lease terms or the statutory default. Month-to-month tenancies require at least 1 month's notice to terminate under Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001.
Step 2 — Filing in Justice Court: If the tenant does not vacate by the deadline in the notice, the landlord may file a forcible detainer (eviction) suit in the Hockley County Justice of the Peace Court. The court sets a hearing date, and both parties are served and may appear.
Step 3 — Hearing & Judgment: At the hearing, both the landlord and tenant may present evidence. If the court rules for the landlord, a judgment for possession is entered. The tenant has 5 days to appeal to the county court (Tex. R. Civ. P. 510.9). Paying any owed rent into the court registry may allow the tenant to stay the eviction pending appeal.
Step 4 — Writ of Possession: If no appeal is filed or the appeal fails, the landlord may obtain a writ of possession no sooner than 6 days after the judgment. A constable or sheriff enforces the writ and physically removes the tenant if necessary.
Self-Help Eviction Is Illegal: A Levelland landlord who locks you out, removes your belongings, cuts off utilities, or removes doors or windows to force you out — without a court order — is committing an illegal self-help eviction under Tex. Prop. Code § 92.0081. You may recover actual damages, one month's rent or $500 (whichever is greater), plus court costs and attorney's fees.
This article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The tenant rights information presented here reflects Texas law as of April 2026 and is intended to help Levelland renters understand their general rights and responsibilities. Laws change, local ordinances may be enacted or amended, and individual circumstances vary significantly. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed Texas attorney or contact a legal aid organization serving West Texas such as Texas RioGrande Legal Aid. RentCheckMe is not a law firm and no attorney-client relationship is formed by reading this page.
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