How to ask a Texas landlord to make a repair

The repair is still not done. That is stressful. Start by writing it down.

Say what failed, when you first asked, and what is still wrong. Keep it short and in your own words.

You type the address where you pay rent. This site does not look it up or check it.

You read the notice before anything is sent. It is your words. The PDF has no company name on it. You can add up to six photos of the problem.

It costs $19, paid once. We email the PDF to the landlord or manager email you enter, and mail the same PDF by USPS Certified Mail to the address where you pay rent. When USPS assigns a tracking number, it's saved with your notice, and we show the USPS delivery or delivery-attempt status as USPS reports it. That is a record you keep and can open later. It is not a ruling that every rule was met.

The clock does not start when the email is sent. Under Texas Property Code § 92.056(c), the landlord is considered to have received the notice when the landlord or the landlord's agent or employee has actually received it, or when the Postal Service has attempted to deliver it. Under § 92.056(d), seven days after that date is a rebuttable presumption of a reasonable time, not a deadline.

Not every repair qualifies. Other conditions apply.

A certified letter can go unclaimed. This service does not also send a separate regular-mail copy.

A city complaint, such as 311, is separate from the notice you send the landlord.

If you are thinking about any step beyond sending a notice, like changes to your rent or your lease, talk with a lawyer or legal aid first.

This is not a law firm, and this is not legal advice.

If you want to write your notice and have it emailed and mailed, you can preview it before you pay $19, once, at inwritingsolutions.com.