To Key or Not to Key...That is the question.

A homeowner moved into a new home and asked me to list his vacated property for lease. The owner thinks he doesn’t have to re-key the locks since he has been the only occupant in the property since it was built. Is he required to re-key the locks when we lease the property?

Yes. The Texas Property Code requires that a landlord re-key the locks no later than the seventh day after each tenant turnover date. “Tenant turnover date” means the date a tenant moves into a dwelling under a lease after all previous occupants have moved out, according to Section 92.151(15) of the Property Code. In 1999, the legislature modified the definition of “tenant turnover date” to require the re-keying of locks each time any occupant moves out and a new tenant moves in. This means that your client, as the last occupant of the property, would have to re-key the locks no later than the seventh day after a new tenant moves into the home.

See more legal questions and answers in the Legal FAQs section of TexasRealtors.com.