Aren't there some preconditions, such as making attempts to come to an accommodation, documenting a pandemic link, etc? There have been so many different moratoria that I don't know the details of all of them.

Oh, okay, I see what you meant now. Yes, there are some "statements" that you make with the CDC Declaration, such as, if you were evicted you would likely be homeless or have to live in close quarters with someone else. And, if you file a CDC Declaration a landlord can try to challenge it during the eviction case. I think this is all kind of moot now, because many judges are going to be proceeding with all evictions unless there are local protections (as in Austin).

Thanks for the info. You sound like you're in the business, so I'll ask you a few things. Does the landlord have to notify the tenant a certain number of days before the end of the lease that they're not being renewed?

This would be in the lease. Normally, there is a provision that you have to tell your landlord some number of days in advance of the end of your lease (usually 30 or 60) that you intend not to renew the lease. Though, there isn't always a provision requiring landlords to do you the same courtesy.

If the lease ends and the tenant doesn't leave, how quickly can the landlord have him physically removed? Is the process easy? I hear that a "normal" eviction is slow and painful for the landlord.

The landlord would have to go through the ordinary eviction process. However, most leases are going to have a "holdover" provision that will assess additional fees for anyone who is a holdover. So, it's really not an attractive position for a tenant (of course, it they're a holdover it's probably because they're desperate). I wouldn't say the eviction process is slow or painful for a landlord. Texas is a very landlord-friendly state. An entire eviction case (from notice to vacate to a constable executing the writ of attachment) could easily be completed in three weeks.

Doesn't the lease usually automagically convert to month-to-month unless notified? How much notice does a landlord have to give the tenant that the month-to-month ends?

No. It depends on what the lease says and what you and your landlord do. If you are on a month to month, 30 days notice is normally required from either party to terminate the lease.