The proposed bill, known as the Ready to Rent Texas Act, aims to establish a verified residential rental application process through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. It introduces a new subchapter to the Property Code, which includes definitions for key terms such as "applicant," "landlord," and "verified application." The bill mandates that landlords must accept verified applications that are issued no earlier than 90 days before submission, and prohibits them from requiring additional application documents or fees beyond the verified application itself. The department is tasked with creating an online portal for applicants to obtain and share their verified applications, which will include necessary background checks and credit reports.

Additionally, the bill amends existing law by removing the reference to a rental application deposit in the definition of a security deposit and repeals a previous subchapter related to rental applications. The Department of Housing and Community Affairs is required to make the new portal available to the public by December 31, 2025, with the act set to take effect on January 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Property Code 92.102 (Property Code 92)