Can My Texas Landlord Retaliate Against Me for Requesting Repairs and Allow Unauthorized Entry?
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Reviewed & verified by A. Jason Velez, Esq.*
Managing Attorney, 1LAW · Last reviewed January 1, 2026
Legal Inquiry
Consumer Legal Issue
My landlord is retaliating against me and my family for submitting maintenance requests. Today an unknown man entered my unit without permission while my daughter was inside alone.
Today he entered. Their response was well we need to talk to you about your pets. You have to many get rid of them or leave the property.
Attorney Answer
What happened today, a stranger entering your unit while your daughter was home alone, is serious enough on its own to call the police, regardless of any retaliation question. Her safety comes first.
Texas law is unusual compared to many states in that it does not have a general statute requiring landlords to give tenants advance notice before entering a rental unit, so a lot depends on what your specific lease says about entry. That said, if this person was not someone your landlord had a legitimate right to send, or entered without any authorization at all, that can be criminal trespassing, and it is worth filing a police report today, both to create a record and because of the safety issue with your daughter home alone. Even if your landlord did send this person, doing so unannounced into a unit with a child alone raises serious concerns about your right to quiet enjoyment of your home, a protection built into every Texas lease.
Texas Property Code § 92.331 also protects tenants from retaliation for actions like requesting repairs in good faith. The statute focuses on adverse actions, such as trying to force you out, taken within six months of your maintenance request. Timing that close is central to a retaliation claim, and the landlord would need to point to a legitimate reason the statute allows, such as unpaid rent or a genuine lease violation. A pet policy can be a legitimate lease term, but the timing here, right around your maintenance requests and today's entry, is exactly the pattern this law is meant to address.
What you can do
1. Call the police today about the unauthorized entry, especially since your daughter was alone. 2. Put everything in writing to your landlord, referencing your maintenance requests, today's entry, and the pet demand, and keep copies. 3. Check your lease for both the pet policy and any entry provisions. 4. Do not get rid of your pets or move out under pressure before talking to a landlord-tenant attorney, who can evaluate whether this is legitimate lease enforcement or retaliation.
This is general legal information, not legal advice, and a local Texas landlord-tenant attorney can review your lease and this timeline and tell you exactly how to respond to protect your family and your housing.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Texas law require my landlord to give notice before entering my unit?
Not by a general state statute, which surprises many tenants. Your specific lease may include entry terms, so check it, and an entry without any authorization or warning, especially involving an unknown person and a child alone, can still raise serious legal concerns.
How do I prove my landlord is retaliating against me?
Texas Property Code § 92.331 protects tenants who make good-faith repair requests and targets adverse actions taken within six months of the request. Keep dated copies of your maintenance requests and everything the landlord does afterward, since that timeline is the heart of a retaliation claim.
Can my landlord still enforce a pet limit in my lease?
Generally yes, a legitimate pet policy is enforceable. The concern here is timing. If the demand followed closely after your repair requests and the entry incident, an attorney can evaluate whether it is a legitimate lease issue or retaliation being used as cover.
