Who maintains the utility lines in a Texas manufactured home community?

The landlord, for the lines it installs. Under Tex. Prop. Code §94.152(3), the landlord shall 'maintain all utility lines installed in the manufactured home community by the landlord unless the utility lines are maintained by a public utility or political subdivision,' and under §94.152(7) shall 'repair or remedy conditions on the premises that materially affect the physical health or safety of an ordinary tenant.' This is general information, not advice about a specific bill — consider consulting a licensed attorney in Texas.

Can I repair a utility problem and deduct the cost in Texas?

Sometimes. Under Tex. Prop. Code §94.157, if the landlord is liable for a condition after proper notice, the tenant may have it repaired and deduct the cost from rent, capped at 'one month's rent ... or $500, whichever is greater,' subject to the section's conditions.

Does Texas cap how a manufactured home community bills for utilities?

The Manufactured Home Tenancies chapter sets no utility-markup cap. However, utility submetering and allocated billing in manufactured home communities are regulated by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (and, for water, under the Texas Water Code), which set rules on how a community may bill residents for submetered or allocated utilities — a framework this guide points to rather than a cap in Chapter 94.

Mobile home utilities in Texas

Texas protects manufactured home community residents on utilities through the landlord's maintenance duties and the warranty of suitability in Tex. Prop. Code Ch. 94, backed by Public Utility Commission submetering rules. The information below describes how the law generally works; anyone disputing a specific charge or outage should consider consulting a licensed attorney in Texas.

What the statute says

Under Tex. Prop. Code §94.152, the landlord shall "comply with any code, statute, ordinance, and administrative rule applicable to the manufactured home community"; "maintain all utility lines installed in the manufactured home community by the landlord unless the utility lines are maintained by a public utility or political subdivision"; "maintain roads ... to the extent necessary to provide access to each tenant's manufactured home lot"; "provide services for the common collection and removal of garbage"; and "repair or remedy conditions on the premises that materially affect the physical health or safety of an ordinary tenant." Section 94.151 adds a "warranty of suitability" that the lot "is suitable for the installation of a manufactured home during the term of the lease." A tenant's repair-and-deduct remedy under §94.157 is capped at "one month's rent ... or $500, whichever is greater." Chapter 94 sets no cap on a utility markup; submetering and allocated billing are regulated by the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

How it works in general

In Texas, the community has to maintain the utility lines it installed (unless a public utility maintains them), keep the roads passable, collect garbage, and fix conditions that materially affect a resident's health or safety — and it warrants that the lot is suitable for the home. If the landlord is liable for a condition after proper notice, the resident can use the repair-and-deduct remedy, capped at the greater of one month's rent or $500. What Chapter 94 doesn't do is cap what a community can charge for utilities; instead, when a community submeters or allocates utilities to residents, the Public Utility Commission of Texas (and the Water Code for water) set the billing rules, so a resident questioning a utility charge should look to those rules and the lease.

Common scenarios

General examples Texas park residents commonly encounter:

A landlord-installed utility line fails. The landlord must maintain it (§94.152(3)).
A condition threatens health or safety. The landlord must repair or remedy it (§94.152(7)); repair-and-deduct may apply (§94.157).
A resident questions a submetered utility charge. Chapter 94 sets no cap; the PUC's submetering rules and the lease control.

Other authorities that may apply

The Manufactured Home Tenancies chapter (Tex. Prop. Code §§94.151, 94.152, 94.157) sets the maintenance duties, warranty of suitability, and repair-and-deduct remedy; the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Texas Water Code govern utility submetering and allocated billing. Because Chapter 94 sets no markup cap, this guide flags that gap honestly. The written lease sets the billing terms.