Evictions

An ordinance passed during the pandemic gave tenants 90 days to pay overdue rent, fees and any additional charges before a landlord could begin the eviction process. But the ordinance is set to expire Friday, when the COVID disaster declaration ends.

For some local relief programs, a lack of staffing, political support and effective community outreach got in the way of spending federal funds to prevent evictions, a new report found. More than $30 million went unspent and had to be returned.

Congress finds four companies appeared to have a strategy to get tenants to leave during the pandemic. Many faced eviction after missing only one payment, and while waiting for emergency rental aid.

Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin all ranked among the top 10 cities for new eviction filings in early April, among the 31 cities tracked by Eviction Lab.

Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas is running a new program where lawyers show up in most Travis County eviction courts to offer representation for tenants.

County staff told commissioners on Tuesday they'd received nearly 3,400 applications for rent and mortgage help in just one week, which is the number of households they expected to be able to help.

The county hoped to use additional federal money to prop up the program. That money isn't coming in.

Starting in January, residential landlords and their tenants will have to wait at least 30 calendar days between filing an eviction and a trial. Typically, cases must be heard within 21 days of a filing.

The bans were intended to help prevent the spread of COVID by keeping people housed. Housing advocates question whether now is a good time to end them.

Eighty-seven families were forced to move from the Rosemont at Oak Valley over the summer. Last week, the county said repairs were complete and residents could safely return.