Can I do my own electrical or plumbing repairs on my rental in Texas?
By Andrew ChavisUpdated September 6, 20265 min readNot the licensed trades. Texas exempts a person from the electrical licensing chapter for work performed in or on a dwelling the person owns and resides in, where no municipal ordinance regulates it (Tex. Occ. Code Sec. 1305.003(a)(6)), and exempts a property owner from the plumbing license requirement for plumbing in the owner's homestead (Tex. Occ. Code Sec. 1301.051). Both exemptions are written around the house you live in. A rental is neither your residence nor your homestead, so the exemption you used on your own kitchen does not travel with you to the tenant's. The repair duty runs at the same time: once a tenant gives notice of a condition that materially affects health or safety, seven days is presumed a reasonable time to fix it (Tex. Prop. Code Sec. 92.052(a), 92.056(d)), and a landlord who does not make a diligent effort faces lease termination, repair-and-deduct, and court remedies (Sec. 92.056(e)). Paint, filters, hardware, and cosmetic work are yours. Wiring, gas, and water lines are a licensed contractor's, and the make-ready schedule has to assume it. This is general information, not legal advice.
The Exemption Is About Where You Sleep, Not What You Own
The Texas Electrical Safety and Licensing Act does not apply to work not specifically regulated by a municipal ordinance that is performed in or on a dwelling by a person who owns and resides in the dwelling (Occ. Code Sec. 1305.003(a)(6)). Two conditions, both required: you own it, and you live in it. The plumbing chapter is narrower still: a property owner is not required to be licensed to perform plumbing in the property owner's homestead (Occ. Code Sec. 1301.051). Homestead is a legal status you can hold on one house, and it is not the rental. The owner who wired the outlet in the garage of the house they live in did nothing wrong. The same owner replacing a breaker in a house a tenant lives in has left the exemption behind, and the municipal-ordinance clause means that even the owner-occupied exemption yields to a city that requires permits and licensed work, which Fort Worth and the corridor cities do for electrical and plumbing permits.
What Is Yours to Do
Plenty. Paint, caulk, filters, smoke-alarm batteries, cabinet hardware, door hardware and the security devices Subchapter D requires, blinds, screens, yard, fence pickets, drywall patching, cleaning, and the punch-list items that make up most of a make-ready are not licensed trades. Swapping a light fixture or a faucet is where owners start to argue with the statute, and the honest answer is that the line is drawn by the licensing chapters and the city's permit rules, not by how handy you are. When the work touches the panel, the gas line, the water supply or drain lines, or the HVAC refrigerant circuit, it is a licensed trade in Texas and the rental has no exemption.
The Repair Clock Runs Whether or Not You Have a Contractor
A landlord must make a diligent effort to repair or remedy a condition the tenant specifies in notice to the place rent is paid, if the tenant is current on rent and the condition materially affects the physical health or safety of an ordinary tenant, or is a failure to supply hot water of at least 120 degrees (Prop. Code Sec. 92.052(a)). The landlord is liable once notice is given, a reasonable time passes, and a second written notice or a first notice by certified or tracked mail is on file (Sec. 92.056(b)). Seven days is presumed reasonable, rebuttable by the severity of the condition and the availability of materials, labor, and utilities (Sec. 92.056(d)). The remedies are the tenant's to choose: terminate the lease with a pro rata refund, repair and deduct under Sec. 92.0561, or go to court under Sec. 92.0563 (Sec. 92.056(e), (f)). The lease must tell the tenant these remedies exist, in underlined or bold print (Sec. 92.056(g)). A DIY owner who cannot get a licensed plumber out inside a week is not excused by the effort; the tenant's clock does not know who is holding the wrench.
What the Owner Did Not Cause, and the Tenant Did
The duty does not cover conditions caused by the tenant, a lawful occupant, a family member, or a guest, unless the condition is normal wear and tear (Sec. 92.052(b)), and it does not require the landlord to furnish utilities whose lines are not reasonably available or to furnish security guards (Sec. 92.052(c)). The distinction matters at the repair call: a drain clogged by the tenant's grease is the tenant's; a drain line that failed from age is the landlord's, and it is licensed work either way.
Why the Vendor Bench Is the Whole Job
The two chapters above are the reason a rental's maintenance plan has to exist before the tenant moves in, not when the water heater lets go at 10 pm in August. A licensed plumber, a licensed electrician, and a licensed HVAC contractor who answer the phone are what turn the seven-day presumption from a threat into a routine. Every vendor we dispatch carries a current certificate of insurance and a W-9 before setting foot on a property. Vendor invoices pass through at the invoice amount. And the cosmetic work stays with whoever does it best and cheapest, which is sometimes the owner. Ask your insurance carrier, not us, what unlicensed work on a rental does to a claim; the statutes above are reason enough on their own.
Common Questions
- 01Can a landlord do their own electrical work on a rental in Texas?
- The exemption in Occ. Code Sec. 1305.003(a)(6) covers work on a dwelling the person owns and resides in, where no city ordinance regulates it. A rental is not the owner's residence, so licensed electrical work applies.
- 02Can a landlord do their own plumbing on a rental in Texas?
- Occ. Code Sec. 1301.051 exempts a property owner only for plumbing in the owner's homestead. A rental is not the homestead. Water, drain, and gas lines on a rental are licensed plumbing work.
- 03What repairs can a Texas landlord do without a license?
- Non-trade work: paint, caulk, filters, smoke-alarm batteries, hardware, locks and security devices, blinds, screens, drywall patching, yard and fence. The line is set by the licensing chapters and city permit rules, not skill.
- 04How long does a landlord have to make repairs in Texas?
- A diligent effort after notice of a condition that materially affects health or safety, with seven days presumed a reasonable time (Prop. Code Sec. 92.052(a), 92.056(d)). Severity and availability of labor and materials can move the presumption.
- 05What can a tenant do if the landlord does not make repairs in Texas?
- After proper notice and a reasonable time with no diligent effort, the tenant may terminate the lease, repair and deduct under Sec. 92.0561, or seek judicial remedies under Sec. 92.0563 (Sec. 92.056(e)). The tenant must be current on rent when notice is given (Sec. 92.056(b)(6)).
- 06Does a landlord have to fix damage the tenant caused in Texas?
- Not during the lease term, unless the condition is normal wear and tear (Sec. 92.052(b)). The repair is still licensed work if it touches the trades, whoever pays for it.
Sources
- Texas Occupations Code Sec. 1305.003 (Electrical Safety and Licensing Act exemptions; official statute, pulled 2026-09-06)
- Texas Occupations Code Sec. 1301.051 (plumbing by property owner in homestead; official statute, pulled 2026-09-06)
- Texas Property Code Secs. 92.052, 92.056 (landlord's duty to repair; liability and tenant remedies; official statute, pulled 2026-09-06)
Prefer this source in your Google resultsanswers like this, higher in your results
Run the numbers with someone who will tell you the truth, even when it costs the deal.
How our maintenance dispatch worksWhat counts as an emergency repair in a Texas rental?(817) 420-0833
- 01How should I screen tenants for my 76179 rental?
- 02Which repairs should I do before renting out my house in 76179?
- 03Should I allow pets in my 76179 rental?