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LANDLORD’S RIGHT TO ENTER Study your lease carefully to determine the circumstances under which the landlord may enter your home. Unless the lease agreement says the landlord can enter your apartment or house, she has NO right to do so, except in emergencies and for routine inspections or repairs and, preferably, when you are provided advance notice. In every residential lease (oral or written), a tenant has an implied right to peaceable, quiet enjoyment of the premises. A tenant also has a right of privacy in her own home. Texas Tenants Rights Handbook Check your lease carefully. Entering the house might be dismissed by authorities as "a civil matter" because he's the landlord and is expected to have limited access to the property (if not spelled out by the lease, state and federal laws apply). But he entered the house without any advance notice, in the absence of any emergency, and removed your property without your consent. This is almost certainly the crime of theft, and possibly burglary (unlawfully entering a property with the intent of commiting certain crimes, one of which includes theft). You have video evidence and text messages. Contact the police to begin with, let them know you've been the victim of a theft that you caught on video and have communications from the person refusing to return your property. Your mileage may vary. Depending on the officer they may try to resolve the issue in your favor, charge him with theft, or they may still dismiss it as "a civil matter" but having reported it is just one step. Document who and when your speak to. It is imperative that you get inexpensive cameras, multiple ones, for your home. Your landlord may not like it, but his behavior indicates that he has no qualms against entering your home whenever he feels like it and taking your stuff. This is a major red flag. Not all security camera require "mounting" or drilling, as you've found, and you can also choose to "mount" interior cameras on your own furniture (attached to a bookshelf, for example). There's also light bulb cameras that just screw into a standard light socket. There are MANY options. Get door/window alarms with the ability to monitor and shut off the alarm remotely. Something like this. Talk to police. This person is a creep. Start a paper trail. Check carefully for hidden cameras. You're in Texas. Get a firearm. Do all this and consider looking for a new place to live. It sucks, but sucks less that wondering if your landlord will wander in while you're sleeping. Edited to add: Along with the report to the police, your may send a Privacy Demand Letter, stipulating that, except for emergencies, he must give 24 hours notice to enter. He may push back or ignore it but you want to have all the weight of evidence showing you are in the right of push comes to shove.