While a landlord may have a contract clause in the lease stating he is not
responsible for any negligent acts, there are some personal injury court opinions holding, as a matter of law, that these types of negligence release clauses are insufficient to bar an injury victim's claim for negligence. Such clauses are sometimes disfavored and strictly construed against the party attempting to enforce them; especially in the landlord tenant relationship because of the disparity of bargaining power.
Also, certain duties under the Landlord and Tenant statutes of Texas may not be waived. The relationship between Texas landlords and their tenants is governed by several statutes, particularly Chapter 92 of the Texas Property Code, and by various court rulings.
