Bexar County Texas Landlord-Tenant Law: Renting in San Antonio’s Military City
San Antonio is a city that does not get enough credit as a rental market. Landlords coming from larger coastal metros are sometimes surprised to find a metro of over 2.1 million people where a solid two-bedroom apartment still rents for under $1,400 a month and a well-maintained single-family home can generate a cap rate that would make a Houston investor raise an eyebrow. Bexar County’s affordability, its steady population growth, and its unusually stable employment base anchored by the U.S. military make it one of the more reliable landlord markets in Texas. That said, it is not without its complexities — and the northwest quadrant of the county, in particular, has some of the highest eviction filing rates in the state.
Four Precincts, Four Courts: The Simplest Major-County System in Texas
One thing Bexar County has going for it from an administrative standpoint is simplicity. Where Harris County has 16 courts and Dallas County has 10, Bexar County has exactly 4 Justice of the Peace courts — one per precinct, no Place 1 and Place 2 complications. Find your precinct at the Bexar County website (bexar.org), confirm your court, and file. Attorneys are required to e-file in Bexar County civil cases. Pro se landlords (those representing themselves without an attorney) may still hand-file documents in person, though e-filing through efiletexas.gov is available and encouraged. The main courthouse address for the county is 100 Dolorosa, San Antonio, TX 78205, though JP courts are located at precinct-specific addresses across the county.
The eviction process in Bexar County follows the standard Texas framework. Serve written Notice to Vacate — 3 days for nonpayment under the statute, though always check your lease for any longer period specified — then file a Petition for Eviction in the JP court for your precinct once the notice period expires. In 2024, 27,012 eviction cases were filed countywide. Precinct 2, which covers the northwest side of the county including Leon Valley and the Loop 410 corridor, handled the highest share. If you own property in that area, you are operating in a high-volume eviction environment and everything about your screening, documentation, and notice delivery needs to be tight.
The Military Factor: What Every San Antonio Landlord Must Know
Joint Base San Antonio is the largest military installation in the world by population, and it makes Bexar County categorically different from any other Texas rental market in one important way: a significant portion of your tenant pool at any given time will be active-duty military members or their families. This creates both opportunities and obligations.
The opportunity: military tenants are generally excellent. They have guaranteed, steady paychecks deposited directly, pass thorough background checks as a condition of service, and tend to treat rental housing with respect. The BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) they receive is specifically calculated to cover local market rent, and it is paid regardless of whether the service member is physically present or deployed. For landlords near Lackland, Fort Sam Houston, or Randolph, a tenant population of E-5s through O-3s can be about as reliable a payment source as you will find.
The obligation: both federal law (the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act) and Texas Property Code § 92.017 give active-duty military tenants the right to break a lease early if they receive orders for a permanent change of station or a deployment of 90 days or more. The tenant must provide written notice and a copy of the military orders. Termination is effective 30 days after the next rent due date following notice delivery. You cannot penalize them for this, and you must return their security deposit in the normal timeframe. The practical response is to include specific SCRA language in your lease acknowledging this right, which protects you from any dispute about whether the tenant properly invoked it. Texas Property Code § 92.017 includes a model provision you can incorporate directly.
The downstream implication is that military neighborhoods near JBSA can have higher-than-average lease turnover — not from financial distress, but from routine PCS orders. Budget for vacancy between military tenants and price your units to turn quickly when they do become available.
San Antonio’s Rental Submarkets: From Southtown to Stone Oak
San Antonio’s rental geography is shaped by three overlapping forces: the military installations on the south and east sides, the medical complex on the northwest side, and the historic urban core that anchors downtown and the River Walk. Understanding which force dominates your neighborhood tells you who your tenant is going to be.
The South Texas Medical Center corridor on the northwest side is the largest medical complex in Texas by employment and attracts a large population of physicians, nurses, residents, and allied health professionals from UT Health San Antonio, Baptist Health System, University Health, and a dozen other institutions. Tenants here are educated, high-income relative to the market, and tend toward longer tenancies once established. One-bedrooms near the Medical Center command $1,200–$1,800 depending on quality, and residents in medical training programs may need lease flexibility around 1-, 2-, and 3-year training rotations.
The urban core — King William Historic District, Southtown, Tobin Hill, and the Pearl District — has gentrified significantly over the past decade and now commands some of the highest urban rents in the city, with one-bedrooms running $1,500–$2,200+ in renovated historic properties. These neighborhoods attract creative professionals, young tech workers from the growing UTSA and Port San Antonio tech ecosystems, and remote workers who appreciate walkability and culture. Turnover is higher here than in family neighborhoods, but so is tenant quality on income metrics.
Stone Oak and far north San Antonio represent the county’s suburban family rental tier — single-family homes in the $1,600–$2,400 range near exemplary North East ISD and North San Antonio ISD campuses. Tenants are primarily dual-income families, often corporate relocatees or military families upgrading from on-base housing. These tenants tend to stay multiple lease terms and treat properties well, but they also know their options and will move on if the condition of the home is not maintained.
Security Deposits and the 30-Day Rule
Texas imposes no cap on security deposits, and San Antonio’s affordable market means most landlords charge one month’s rent. The deposit must be returned with a written itemized list of deductions within 30 days of the tenant surrendering possession — not the end of the lease term, but the date the keys come back. Normal wear and tear cannot be deducted. Holding a deposit in bad faith triggers $100 plus three times the wrongfully withheld amount plus attorney’s fees. After 30 days without a return or accounting, bad faith is presumed by law. Set the calendar reminder the day you get the keys back.
This page is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Texas landlord-tenant law changed significantly on January 1, 2026. Consult a licensed Texas attorney or contact the appropriate Bexar County Justice of the Peace Court for guidance specific to your situation. Last updated: March 2026.
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