Minimum Housing Standards

The following is an outline of the process regarding minimum housing standards complaints. Please carefully review the list to ensure you meet the criteria for assistance under this ordinance.

1) Are you receiving any government assistance? If you are receiving certain types of assistance we will not be able to assist you. The agency you receive assistance from will need to address the issues. (Housing Choice Voucher Program – formally known as Section 8)

2) Are you current on rent and other fees due? While this is a civil matter between the tenant and the landlord, and will not prevent enforcement of this ordinance, it may ultimately affect the disposition of any citations issued to the landlord and give cause for eviction of the tenant.

3) Have you given proper notice to the landlord? Proper notice consists of sending a notice to the landlord via Certified Mail (keep a copy of the letter for yourself also). In the notice you must list all items that require repair/replacement and give the landlord a reasonable amount of time to make the corrections.

4) If you are not receiving housing assistance from the Housing Choice Voucher program and have given the landlord proper notice by Certified Mail and the issues have not been resolved within the reasonable amount of time you have given. You may request a Code Enforcement Officer come to your rental unit to inspect for violations.

5) The Code Enforcement Officer will review the violations in your residence and compile a list of the violations and send a notice to the landlord. (Not all issues may be required to be corrected under the Minimum Housing Standards Code.)

6) The landlord will have 30 days in which to make the required corrections or citations may be issued. In certain cases landlords can request an extension to correct certain violations which will prolong the 30 days allowed to make the corrections.

Remember it is always important to have a copy of your signed lease agreement in writing.

Taking action under this code does not prevent you from pursuing other remedies available to you under Texas state law.

A physical copy of the Tenants’ Rights Handbook is available upon request from the Code Enforcement Division, you may access a digital version here.

Individuals that meet income eligibility guidelines can apply for free civil legal services by phone by calling the Legal Aid Line Toll Free at the number below. 

Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas 1-888-529-5277 (Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 12:00 pm & 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm) for further information on these services you may go to www.lanwt.org or www.texaslawhelp.org