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Melissa, Texas is one of the fastest-growing communities in Collin County, located along the US-75 corridor north of McKinney. The city's rapid residential expansion has brought an increasing number of renters into apartment complexes and single-family rental homes, many of whom are unfamiliar with their rights under Texas law.
Like all Texas renters, Melissa tenants are protected by the Texas Property Code, which sets rules on security deposits, habitability, retaliation, and the eviction process. Melissa has not enacted any local tenant protection ordinances beyond what state law provides — and under Texas state law, it cannot enact rent control. Understanding your baseline state-level rights is therefore the single most important step Melissa renters can take.
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws can change and individual situations vary — if you have a specific legal problem, contact a licensed Texas attorney or a local legal aid organization.
Melissa has no rent control, and Texas law makes that permanent. Texas Property Code § 214.902 expressly prohibits any city, county, or other political subdivision from adopting a rent control ordinance. This statewide preemption means Melissa cannot pass local rules limiting how much a landlord may charge or how much rent may increase — regardless of how tight the local rental market becomes.
In practice, this means your landlord in Melissa can raise your rent by any dollar amount, at any time, as long as proper notice is given before the increase takes effect. For a month-to-month tenant, that requires at least one month's written notice under Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001. For a fixed-term lease, the rent cannot increase during the lease term unless the lease itself permits it — when the lease expires, the landlord may offer renewal at a higher rate with no statutory cap.
Renters concerned about large rent increases should carefully review lease renewal terms and keep records of all written communications from their landlord.
Texas law provides several meaningful protections for renters in Melissa, even without local ordinances. Each key protection is summarized below with the applicable statute.
Security Deposits (Tex. Prop. Code §§ 92.101–92.109): Landlords must return your security deposit within 30 days of move-out, along with an itemized written list of any deductions. If a landlord wrongfully withholds any portion of the deposit in bad faith, you may be entitled to three times the withheld amount plus attorney's fees under § 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. To trigger this duty, you must give written notice of the condition and be current on rent. If the landlord fails to act within a reasonable time (generally 7 days for urgent conditions), you 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.
Notice to Terminate a Month-to-Month Tenancy (Tex. Prop. Code § 91.001): Either the landlord or tenant must provide at least one month's written notice to end a month-to-month rental agreement. The notice period may be altered by a written lease, but cannot be reduced below the statutory default without mutual agreement.
Anti-Retaliation (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.331): A landlord may not retaliate against you for in good faith requesting repairs, complaining to a housing inspector, joining a tenant organization, or exercising any other legal right. Prohibited retaliatory acts include raising rent, reducing services, filing a retaliatory eviction, or threatening any of these actions. If retaliation is proven, you may recover one month's rent plus $500, attorney's fees, and other damages (§ 92.333).
Lockout & Utility Shutoff Prohibition (Tex. Prop. Code § 92.0081): Self-help eviction is illegal in Texas. A landlord cannot change your locks, remove doors or windows, or cut off your electricity, water, or other utilities to force you to leave. Violations entitle you to recover possession, one month's rent plus $1,000, attorney's fees, and actual damages.
Texas Property Code §§ 92.101–92.109 govern security deposits for all residential rentals in Melissa. There is no statutory cap on how much a landlord may charge as a security deposit — the amount is set by the lease agreement.
Return deadline: Your landlord must return the deposit (or the balance after lawful deductions) within 30 days of the date you surrender the property (§ 92.103). A written, itemized list of deductions must accompany any partial return. If you provide a forwarding address in writing, the clock runs from receipt of that address.
Permitted deductions: Landlords may deduct for unpaid rent, damage beyond normal wear and tear, and other charges specified in the lease. Deductions for normal wear and tear are not permitted (§ 92.104).
Penalty for wrongful withholding: If a landlord retains all or part of your deposit in bad faith — without providing the required itemization — you may sue for three times the amount wrongfully withheld, plus $100, plus attorney's fees (§ 92.109). To preserve these rights, do not vacate without providing a written forwarding address and keep a copy of your move-out notice.
Evictions in Melissa follow the Texas Property Code and the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. Landlords must use the court process — there is no legal shortcut.
Step 1 — Written Notice: Before filing in court, the landlord must give you a written notice to vacate. For nonpayment of rent, the minimum notice is 3 days unless the lease specifies a longer period (Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005). For other lease violations or a holdover tenancy, the required notice is also typically 3 days, but lease terms may extend this. Month-to-month tenancies being terminated (not for cause) require at least one month's notice under § 91.001.
Step 2 — Justice Court Filing: If you do not vacate by the deadline, the landlord may file an eviction (forcible detainer) suit in the Collin County Justice Court with jurisdiction over Melissa. You will be served with a citation and a court date, typically set within 10–21 days of filing (Tex. R. Civ. P. 510.4).
Step 3 — Hearing: Both parties present their case before a justice of the peace. If the court rules for the landlord, a judgment for possession is entered. You have 5 days to appeal to the County Court at Law, which stays the eviction during appeal if you pay a bond or file a pauper's affidavit (Tex. R. Civ. P. 510.9).
Step 4 — Writ of Possession: If no appeal is filed and you remain on the property, the landlord can request a writ of possession no sooner than 6 days after judgment. A constable will then carry out the lockout (Tex. Prop. Code § 24.0061).
Self-Help Eviction is Illegal: At no point may your landlord lock you out, remove your belongings, or shut off utilities to force you out without completing the court process. Doing so is a violation of Tex. Prop. Code § 92.0081 and entitles you to damages, possession, and attorney's fees.
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 applicability of any law depends on the specific facts of your situation. If you have a landlord-tenant dispute or believe your rights have been violated, consult a licensed Texas attorney or contact a legal aid organization in your area. RentCheckMe does not represent you and is not a substitute for professional legal counsel.
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