Garland rental hail, freeze and outage plan for landlords

Garland’s weather is the Metroplex’s — hail in spring, freezes in winter — but its outage plan is simpler than its neighbours’: for about 85% of the city, Garland Power & Light generates, delivers and bills the power, so the tenant has one number and the landlord has one utility to name. The one mandatory document is the Property Code §92.0135 flood disclosure, signed at or before signing. No Garland floodplain page was verified for this guide, so the flood section rests on the federal map and the state form.

Flood: the disclosure and its evidence

Answer the two §92.0135 questions from the FEMA Flood Map Service Center lookup and from records, using the TREC form wording, and keep a dated screenshot. Garland’s creeks put some lots in mapped zones; the map, not the neighbourhood, decides. Drainage and street flooding go to the city’s service channels.

After a hailstorm: the Garland sequence

Within 48 hours: photograph the roof, gutters, fence and any exterior damage with dates; ask the tenant for a written report of interior leaks, which starts the clock under Property Code §92.056.
Within the week: file the claim and read the declarations page for the wind-and-hail deductible — often a percentage of the insured value — and the loss-of-rents cover; a licensed agent answers what the page does not.
Before the next turnover: complete the repairs, because the City of Garland inspects a single-family rental at each change of tenancy and unrepaired storm damage is a citation waiting for an inspector (Single Family Rental Program).
In the file: the photographs, the claim number, the contractor invoices and the inspection report that closes the episode.

When the grid fails in a freeze

A GP&L address reports the outage to Garland Power & Light and waits for the city’s own crews; a non-GP&L address reports to the delivery utility named by the city’s provider lookup. Neither is the landlord’s to fix, and Property Code §92.008 restricts what a landlord may do about utilities in the meantime. What is the landlord’s: pipes. Insulate exposed lines and hose bibs before the first forecast freeze, test the heating, and show the tenant the water shutoff — a burst on the house side of the meter is metered and lands on the City of Garland account named in the lease, on the same statement as electricity and trash (Understanding your utility bill).

The sheet by the door

GP&L outage line (or the delivery utility for a non-GP&L address); the City of Garland utility customer line; the city’s emergency alert channels.
The landlord’s emergency number and the repair route named in the lease.
Water shutoff, breaker panel and gas shutoff locations.
After an event: dated photographs before repair, the tenant’s written report, the insurer’s claim number; §92.054 on casualty loss if the dwelling is unusable; §92.008 on utility interruption respected throughout.

GARLAND RISK SOURCES AND WHAT THE LEASE SAYS
Risk	Where to check	What the lease or file contains
100-year floodplain	FEMA map · TREC form	Signed §92.0135 disclosure; dated map screenshot
Hail and wind	Insurance policy (licensed agent)	Deductible and loss-of-rents noted; roof photographed each spring; repairs before the turnover inspection
Power interruption	GP&L · Provider lookup	The right outage number for the address; §92.008 respected
Freeze damage	Water Utilities	City utility account holder named; shutoff location on the sheet

What changes in Garland

One municipal utility for most addresses means one outage number and one bill.
Storm damage on a house meets the city’s change-of-tenancy inspection if left unrepaired.
Hail is the dominant insured loss; the deductible structure matters more than the flood zone for most units.
The §92.0135 disclosure applies in full.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a flood disclosure for a Garland rental?

Yes. Property Code §92.0135 applies to most residential leases of 30 days or more anywhere in Texas: a signed written notice about 100-year floodplain awareness and flooding in the past five years.

Who does a Garland tenant call in a power outage?

Garland Power & Light for the roughly 85% of the city it serves (GP&L); the city’s provider lookup names the delivery utility for other addresses.

What should I ask my insurer before hail season in Garland?

Whether the policy has a separate wind-and-hail deductible, often a percentage of dwelling value, and what loss-of-rents cover pays while the unit is uninhabitable. Ask a licensed agent; this page cannot read your policy.

Which account pays for a burst pipe in a Garland rental?

The City of Garland utility account named in the lease, which carries water, sewer, trash and — for GP&L addresses — electricity on one statement (City of Garland).

Sources

Rules change and the right answer can depend on the home, the city, the lease and the timing. These are the official pages this guide relies on; check them before signing, charging a fee, sending a notice or making a legal decision.

General information for U.S. landlords, with a Texas focus. This guide is not legal, tax or accounting advice. Consult a qualified professional for your situation. Written by the rentalfreelease.com Editorial Team; last reviewed September 19, 2026.