Renters

Residents at Creeks Edge Apartments are asking the city to officially sanction the landlord, prohibiting it from renting to new tenants.

In short, no. According to state law, a landlord cannot shut off utilities without agreement from the tenant unless there is an emergency, repair or construction.

Council members passed two ordinances Thursday, both centered on renters. One could help renters stave off eviction, and the other is intended to prevent landlord backlash when tenants organize.

A new report shows the cost of renting a home or apartment is up 15% nationally to a new record high.

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.

Low-income housing is in crisis — corporate landlords are squeezing renters with higher rents in often unsafe housing units. Renters are fighting back

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

The program could come back, but that hinges on federal funding that, as of now, hasn't yet materialized.

The county has seen a crush of applications since the City of Austin and the state closed their rent relief programs. It doesn't have enough money to cover all the applications for help it has received.