Note The library cannot help you fill out forms or determine what form you should use.

About Legal Forms

Official Forms

In general, Texas has very few official legal forms. This is why you will not always find a free fill-in-the-blank form for your situation.

If there is an official form for a legal procedure, it is usually found on the court or court clerk websites. We link to many in this guide.

Templates & Drafting Guides

Everyone's legal situation is different. It is difficult to create standard fill-in-the-blank forms that can work for everyone.

If there are no fill-in-the-blank forms, you may be able to draft your own by using a form template or drafting guide. These are usually created by legal aid and nonprofit groups or private publishers.

Templates and drafting guides often need to be customized for your specific situation. TexasLawHelp.org has an article that explains how you can change existing forms or write your own. If you need help, it's a good idea to ask a lawyer.

Online Forms - Tenants' Rights

Repairs

Self-Help Repair Packet (Austin Tenants Council)
This packet from the Austin Tenants Council will help you demand repairs from your landlord. It contains two informational brochures, two sample repair request letters, two fill-in-the-blank repair requests, a fill-in-the-blank “Notice to Terminate” letter, and a fill-in-the-blank “Petition for Relief under Section 92.0563 of the Texas Property Code.”
Tenant's Formal Request Through Court For Repairs (eFileTexas.gov)
eFileTexas's self-help section contains an interactive interview that will help you create completed forms for a repair and remedy case. Select "Landlord-Tenant: Tenant's formal request through court for repairs" from the list of types of filings.

Locks

Provide or Repair Locks — Demand Letter (Texas Tenant Advisor)
Demand that your landlord provide or repair locks that are required by law.
Re-Key Locks — Demand Letter (Texas Tenant Advisor)
Demand that your landlord re-key locks as required by law.

Smoke Detectors

Smoke Detector — Demand Letter (Austin Tenants' Council)
Demand the installation, inspection, or repair of the smoke detector in your rental unit.

Privacy

Privacy — Demand Letter (Texas Tenant Advisor)
Demand that your landlord stop invading your privacy. (Available through the Internet Archive.)

Lockouts & Utility Interruptions

Utility Interruption — Demand Letter (Austin Tenants' Council)
Demand service restoration to your rental unit after an illegal utility interruption.

Deposit Refunds

Application Deposit Refund — Demand Letter (Texas Tenant Advisor)
Demand that your landlord refund your application deposit.
Security Deposit Refund — Demand Letter (Texas Tenant Advisor)
Demand that your landlord refund your security deposit after you've moved out.
Petition for Return of Security Deposit (Texas Tenant Advisor)
File a lawsuit against your landlord for the return of your security deposit.

Retaliation

Petition for Retaliation (Texas Law Help)
A tenant who believes their landlord punished them for exercising their rights under the law can use this form from Texas Law Help to file a lawsuit.

Natural Disaster

Legal Self-Help Guide for Texas Tenants Affected by Natural Disaster (Texas RioGrande Legal Aid)
This self-help packet contains information and several forms for Texans whose rental units have been affected by a natural disaster. It contains forms related to requests for repairs, requests for rent reduction, lease terminations due the landlord's failure to repair, and other topics.

Online Forms for Eviction

Tenant Forms

Eviction Answer (TexasLawHelp.org)
This toolkit from TexasLawHelp.org contains the forms and instructions you will need to respond to an eviction suit.
Eviction — Defendant's Original Answer (Texas Tenant Advisor)
Respond when your landlord has started an eviction suit against you. (Available through the Internet Archive.)
I Want to Avoid Eviction by Negotiating With My Landlord (TexasLawHelp.org)
Forms and instructions for negotiating a hold off agreement with your landlord to avoid eviction for a lease violation or nonpayment of rent.
Motion to Set Aside a Default Eviction Judgment — TexasLawHelp.org
Ask the court to set aside a default judgment for eviction if you missed the trial for a good reason.
Eviction Appeal — Affidavit of Inability to Post Appeal Bond or Pay Costs for Appeal (Texas Tenant Advisor)
State to the court that you wish to appeal an eviction decision and that you do not have the financial means to post an appeal or cash bond or pay court costs for the appeal.
Eviction & Landlord/Tenant Forms (Texas Justice Court Training Center)
Scroll down to the section titled "Evictions and other Landlord-Tenant Forms" to find many forms related to evictions and landlord/tenant disputes.
Eviction & Landlord/Tenant Forms in Spanish (Texas Justice Court Training Center)
Several Spanish forms for when an eviction case has been filed against you.

Landlord Forms

Eviction & Landlord/Tenant Forms (Texas Justice Court Training Center)
Scroll down to the section titled "Evictions and other Landlord-Tenant Forms" to find many forms related to evictions and landlord/tenant disputes.
Eviction Petition (eFileTexas.gov)
Evict a tenant in Justice of the Peace (JP) court when your tenant has not paid rent under a rental agreement.
Eviction Appeal Information and Forms for Landlords (Travis County Law Library)
Appeal your case after your attempt to evict has been denied (Travis County residents).

E-Books

Many e-books contain forms or drafting guides. To access, first get a free library account online.

Our librarians recommend:

Texas real estate guide
This multi-volume set of e-books provides comprehensive coverage of real property law, transactions, and litigation. Along with drafting guides and forms, it includes discussions of the law with citations to statutes, case law, regulations, and court rules.
Every tenant's legal guide
Written in straightforward and easy-to-understand language, Nolo’s guide to tenant rights is an excellent explanation of the legal pitfalls a renter can encounter.
Every landlord's legal guide
This book from Nolo is intended to help landlords with legal issues, including screening tenants, leases, security deposits, sublets, the landlord’s duty to repair, right of entry, and evictions.

Other Places to Find Forms

Court Websites

Check your county or municipality's website for any available legal forms. Some county websites or court websites upload commonly used legal forms as a public service. For example, the Dallas County District Clerk and the Harris County District Clerk provide downloadable legal forms on their websites.
To find court websites and contact information view the Texas judicial directory, search the judicial directory database, or view the interactive map of judicial districts.

Books or E-Books from a Law Library

The State Law Library's digital collection has e-books that can be accessed from home. Many of these e-books contain legal forms or drafting guides. To access, first get a free library account online with the Texas State Law Library.
Visit a law library near you to search for books with legal forms and drafting guides.
The State Law Library has books with legal forms and drafting guides to check out at our location in Austin. Search for books in our library catalog or view our list of recommended titles.

An Attorney

An attorney could create a custom form for you. If you are not able to find the legal form you are looking for, one may not exist in a pre-prepared format and you may need to seek help from a lawyer.
To find an attorney, see the resources on our Legal Help guide.