Relating to the issuance of certain protective orders for certain burglary offenses.

Contracts

• Residential Leases: While lease templates do not need immediate rewriting, enforcement protocols must change. Lease clauses imposing reletting fees or acceleration of rent are now void for tenants presenting a protective order citing Burglary of a Habitation (Penal Code § 30.02).
• Security Vendor Agreements: Update Post Orders to authorize security personnel to act on Chapter 7B orders involving burglary suspects, who may be strangers to the victim rather than domestic partners.

Hiring/Training

• Leasing Staff: Train onsite managers immediately. They must stop rejecting lease termination requests for burglary victims. Failure to comply violates Texas Property Code § 92.0161.
• Human Resources: Update workplace violence training. Intake teams must recognize that a protective order for "burglary" carries the same legal weight and workplace safety implications as those for sexual assault or stalking.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

• Verification: Compliance officers must verify the protective order explicitly references Chapter 7B, Code of Criminal Procedure and the underlying offense of Burglary (Penal Code § 30.02).
• Incident Logging: Security logs must differentiate these orders. Unlike domestic violence cases, the perpetrator may not be a known associate of the employee/tenant, requiring reliance on physical descriptions or mugshots rather than name recognition.

Fees & Costs

• Revenue Impact: Landlords must absorb the cost of vacancy and turnover for these early terminations; you cannot charge the tenant.
• Lock Changes: Under Property Code § 92.017, tenants with these orders may request immediate lock changes.