TX HB1369

Courts must automatically make residential eviction case records confidential when judgment favors the defendant, the case is dismissed without relief to the plaintiff, or the tenant was evicted by a successor following foreclosure without being in default

Defendants may petition to have eviction case information made confidential after 5 years from final judgment, or if they previously won or had their case dismissed but no confidentiality order was issued

Courts may also grant confidentiality at their discretion if found to be in the interest of justice and not outweighed by the public's interest in knowing the information

Credit reporting agencies, tenant screening companies, and others who sell eviction data are prohibited from disclosing confidential eviction cases or using them in tenant screening reports, with violations subject to actual damages or up to $1,000 in exemplary damages plus up to $10,000 in attorney's fees

The Texas Supreme Court must adopt implementing rules by January 1, 2026, which is also the effective date of the Act