Landlord Requirements for Door Locks and Security Devices
Under Section 92.153(a) of the Property Code, a landlord must install the following security devices:
- a window latch on each exterior window;
- a doorknob lock or keyed deadbolt on each exterior door;
- a sliding door pin lock on each exterior sliding glass door,
- a sliding door handle latch, or sliding door security bar on each exterior sliding glass door, and
- a keyless bolting device (that only can be locked and unlocked from the inside) and a door viewer on each exterior door.
Note: keyed deadbolts or doorknob locks are not required on all exterior doors as long as one door has both keyed and keyless deadbolts and the rest of the doors have keyless deadbolts.
For French doors, one of the doors must meet the criteria above, and the other door must have bolts which insert into the doorjamb above and below the door.
The landlord must change the locks between tenancies.
A landlord must re-key or change all the key-operated locks (or other combination locks) on the outside doors between each tenancy at the landlord’s expense. The landlord must re-key by the seventh day after the tenant moves in. The tenant(s) can also ask the landlord to re-key or change the locks at other times while they’re living there, but they may have to pay for it.
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