L's taking you to the cleaners! Fear not, brave defender! Texas has wonderful laws to protect tenants from dastardly landlords like yours. Here's the eddress for the TX Property Code landlord tenant laws:
http://www.hyperindex.com/scripts/search.exe/_hits?dn=PROPRTY&show=3&no=743&scope=SENTENCES&host=1&keyor=&mode=TOC Here are some of the laws. Your judicial remedies are quite good, since L's statement that it's your duty to repair was unlawful. Hope you saved all your receipts and copies of the written notices!
Sec. 92.052. Landlord's Duty to Repair or Remedy.
(a) A landlord shall make a diligent effort to repair or remedy a condition if:
(1) the tenant specifies the condition in a notice to the person to whom or to the place where rent is normally paid;
(2) the tenant is not delinquent in the payment of rent at the time notice is given; and
(3) the condition materially affects the physical health or safety of an ordinary tenant.
(b) Unless the condition was caused by normal wear and tear, the landlord does not have a duty during the lease term or a renewal or extension to repair or remedy a condition caused by:
(1) the tenant;
(2) a lawful occupant in the tenant's dwelling;
(3) a member of the tenant's family; or
(4) a guest or invitee of the tenant.
(c) This subchapter does not require the landlord:
(1) to furnish utilities from a utility company if as a practical matter the utility lines of the company are not reasonably available; or
(2) to furnish security guards.
(d) The tenant's notice under Subsection (a) must be in writing only if the tenant's lease is in writing and requires written notice.
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Sec. 92.053. Burden of Proof.
(a) Except as provided by this section, the tenant has the burden of proof in a judicial action to enforce a right resulting from the landlord's failure to repair or remedy a condition under Section 92.052.
(b) If the landlord does not provide a written explanation for delay in performing a duty to repair or remedy on or before the fifth day after receiving from the tenant a written demand for an explanation, the landlord has the burden of proving that he made a diligent effort to repair and that a reasonable time for repair did not elapse.
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Sec. 92.056. Landlord Liability and Tenant Remedies; Notice and Time for Repair.
(a) A landlord's liability under this section is subject to Section 92.052 (b) regarding conditions that are caused by a tenant and Section 92.054 regarding conditions that are insured casualties.
(b) A landlord is liable to a tenant as provided by this subchapter if:
(1) the tenant has given the landlord notice to repair or remedy a condition by giving that notice to the person to whom or to the place where the tenant's rent is normally paid;
(2) the condition materially affects the physical health or safety of an ordinary tenant;
(3) the tenant has given the landlord a subsequent written notice to repair or remedy the condition after a reasonable time to repair or remedy the condition following the notice given under Subdivision (1) or the tenant has given the notice under Subdivision (1) by sending that notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, or by registered mail;
(4) the landlord has had a reasonable time to repair or remedy the condition after the landlord received the tenant's notice under Subdivision (1) and, if applicable, the tenant's subsequent notice under Subdivision (3);
(5) the landlord has not made a diligent effort to repair or remedy the condition after the landlord received the tenant's notice under Subdivision (1) and, if applicable, the tenant's notice under Subdivision (3) ; and
(6) the tenant was not delinquent in the payment of rent at the time any notice required by this subsection was given.
(c) For purposes of Subsection (b) (4) or (5) , a landlord is considered to have received the tenant's notice when the landlord or the landlord's agent or employee has actually received the notice or when the United States Postal Service has attempted to deliver the notice to the landlord.
(d) For purposes of Subsection (b) (3) or (4) , in determining whether a period of time is a reasonable time to repair or remedy a condition, there is a rebuttable presumption that seven days is a reasonable time. To rebut that presumption, the date on which the landlord received the tenant's notice, the severity and nature of the condition, and the reasonable availability of materials and labor and of utilities from a utility company must be considered.
(e)
Except as provided in Subsection (f) , a tenant to whom a landlord is liable under Subsection (b) of this section may:
(1) terminate the lease;
(2) have the condition repaired or remedied according to Section 92.0561;
(3) deduct from the tenant's rent, without necessity of judicial action, the cost of the repair or remedy according to Section 92.0561; and
(4) obtain judicial remedies according to Section 92.0563.
(f) A tenant who elects to terminate the lease under Subsection (e) is:
(1) entitled to a pro rata refund of rent from the date of termination or the date the tenant moves out, whichever is later;
(2) entitled to deduct the tenant's security deposit from the tenant's rent without necessity of lawsuit or obtain a refund of the tenant's security deposit according to law; and
(3) not entitled to the other repair and deduct remedies under Section 92.0561 or the judicial remedies under Subdivisions (1) and (2) of Subsection (a) of Section 92.0563.
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Sec. 92.0563. Tenant's Judicial Remedies.
(a) A tenant's judicial remedies under Section 92.056 shall include:
(1) an order directing the landlord to take reasonable action to repair or remedy the condition;
(2) an order reducing the tenant's rent, from the date of the first repair notice, in proportion to the reduced rental value resulting from the condition until the condition is repaired or remedied;
(3) a judgment against the landlord for a civil penalty of one month's rent plus $500;
(4) a judgment against the landlord for the amount of the tenant's actual damages; and
(5) court costs and attorney's fees, excluding any attorney's fees for a cause of action for damages relating to a personal injury.
(b) A landlord who knowingly violates Section 92.006 by contracting orally or in writing with a tenant to waive the landlord's duty to repair under this subchapter shall be liable to the tenant for actual damages, a civil penalty of one month's rent plus $2,000, and reasonable attorney's fees. For purposes of this subsection, there shall be a rebuttable presumption that the landlord acted without knowledge of the violation. The tenant shall have the burden of pleading and proving a knowing violation. If the lease is in writing and is not in violation of Section 92.006, the tenant's proof of a knowing violation must be clear and convincing. A mutual agreement for tenant repair under Subsection (g) of Section 92.0561 is not a violation of Section 92.006.
(c) The justice, county, and district courts have concurrent jurisdiction of an action under Subsection (a) of this section except that the justice court may not order repairs under Subdivision (1) of Subsection (a) of this section.
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Sec. 92.103. Obligation to Refund.
(a) Except as provided by Section 92.107, the landlord shall refund a security deposit to the tenant on or before the 30th day after the date the tenant surrenders the premises.
(b) A requirement that a tenant give advance notice of surrender as a condition for refunding the security deposit is effective only if the requirement is underlined or is printed in conspicuous bold print in the lease.
(c) The tenant's claim to the security deposit takes priority over the claim of any creditor of the landlor
