Can my landlord make me pay rent online?

Texas does not have any laws that say how a tenant must pay their rent. The law does not discuss whether a landlord can make a tenant pay in a specific way, like online or with a money order. How a tenant pays their rent will depend on their lease. It is important to review the terms of your lease to see if it has any requirements on how to pay rent.

If a landlord introduces a new requirement to pay online, that may be considered an amendment to the lease. Changes to the lease can only happen at the beginning of a new lease period or with the agreement of all parties. If all parties do not agree, the landlord will need to wait until the lease is up for renewal to introduce new rules.

Another common question is whether a landlord can ask a tenant to pay through a website that charges a processing fee. The answer is similar — if introduced mid-term, this is a change that may be considered an amendment to the lease.

For more information, see Texas Tenant Advisor’s article on lease changes. The library also has more information about rent and rent payments on our guide to Texas landlord/tenant law.

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FAQs

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Guides

• Landlord/Tenant Law