Texas tenants hit with soaring rent increases see little relief in sight
Renters are seeing their housing costs jump as population increases, strict zoning regulations and rising home sales push up rent prices. Full Story
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![In November 2021, Rebecca Brown received a letter in the mail from her tenant informing her that her rent would increase by nearly $350 a month or more, depending on the lease term. Brown decided to attempt a negotiation. After successfully bringing the rent increase down from 24% to 5%, she has shared her story to empower and remind other renters of their rights to challenge rent hikes.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Home prices soared during the pandemic. Here’s what that looks like in one East Texas city.
Texas’ housing crunch has spread outside of the state’s major metropolitan areas and into more rural parts of Texas. Smaller cities and towns saw steep increases in home prices as COVID-19 spread. Full Story
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![Quannah Ludlow, 37, stands in the dinning area of his one-bedroom apartment in Longview, Texas, on Dec. 14, 2021. Quannah was living for six months at a Courtyard by Marriott hotel while trying to find an apartment to rent in Longview.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
Evictions in some Texas cities are almost back to normal levels as tenant help dries up
Evictions in major Texas cities have reached levels not seen since the pandemic began. But tenant protections and financial assistance for struggling renters are beginning to fade. Full Story
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![A house in the Windsor Park neighborhood of East Austin on Nov. 22, 2021.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune -
Citing overwhelming demand, Texas Rent Relief Program will stop taking new applications after Friday
Housing advocates worry some Texans won’t get the help they need as the state enters the cold winter months. Full Story
![[Neighborhood scenes - Justice Court Pct. 5 Place 1 under Honorable Russ Ridgway] Clarewood Gardens Apartments of the Chimney Rock neighborhood in southwest Houston. Aug. 21, 2020.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/cqlcz8vc9Ox_TpFvfCFmEvEKTK0=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0e5bdc9b3997bbcc3ea29d12b1bf43b3/Houston%20Evictions%20PYH%20TT%2010.jpg)
![[Neighborhood scenes - Justice Court Pct. 5 Place 1 under Honorable Russ Ridgway] Clarewood Gardens Apartments of the Chimney Rock neighborhood in southwest Houston. Aug. 21, 2020.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
This Plano family got evicted after the Texas Rent Relief program paid the wrong landlord
The state’s $1.9 billion rental assistance program, which launched during the pandemic, has helped more than 165,000 Texans. But people have “slipped through the cracks,” advocates say. Full Story
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![Jared Brown looks over his family’s belongings on the morning of their eviction from their Plano apartment.]()
Credit: Keren Carrión/KERA News -
El difícil camino para acceder a los fondos de asistencia para el alquiler
¿Busca asistencia para pagar su renta? Esto es lo que sucede cuando se intenta acceder a los fondos de ayuda distribuidos entre ciudades y condados de Texas. Full Story
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
The nationwide ban on evictions is over. Here’s what Texas renters need to know.
There’s $1 billion in rental assistance available to struggling Texas tenants. But for many renters, getting the help they need depends on where they live. Full Story
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![Carl Nickerson shows his eviction papers outside of of Harris County Courthouse in Houston, Texas on Aug. 21, 2020.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
As federal eviction moratorium expires, tenants and rent advocates scramble to obtain state and local rental relief funds
In the first phase of funding from the federal government for emergency rental assistance, Texas received about $2 billion. Now the state has to get those funds in the hands of Texans. Full Story
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![Demonstrators rally against evictions outside the Harris County Courthouse in Houston on Aug. 21, 2020.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Supreme Court extends state program to help tenants avoid eviction until Oct. 1
The extension comes as the federal moratorium on evictions is set to expire on July 31. Full Story
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
CDC extends eviction ban through July, but enforcement in Texas is up to individual judges
The agency cited the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant as reason to keep the anti-eviction measure in place. Full Story
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ rent relief program has been plagued by problems that slow payments and could prompt evictions
According to a legislative report, of the 176,000 people who have begun applications for rental assistance, just over 1,000 have had their applications approved. And only 250 of payments have been sent. Full Story
![Carl Nickerson shows his eviction papers outside of of Harris County Courthouse in Houston, Texas on Aug. 21, 2020.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Despite federal moratorium, more Texas renters face eviction as state protection lapses
Although the CDC renewed its order halting evictions until the end of June, the Texas Supreme Court let state guidelines expire. Housing advocates believe more landlords will start turning out tenants. Full Story
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![A demonstrator holds up a sign in protest of evictions against the Harris County Courthouse in Houston on Aug. 21, 2020.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Already hit hard by pandemic, Black and Hispanic communities suffer the blows of an unforgiving winter storm
Texans of color, disproportionately devastated by death and unemployment during the last year, tend to live in neighborhoods with older homes, more vulnerable pipes and fewer food options. That's made it harder to withstand the cold temperatures and power outages. Full Story
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![Marleny Almendarez, 38, with her niece Madelyne Hernandez, 3, and two boys, Aaron Hall, 11, and Matthew Hall, 14, outside their now-powered home in Dallas on Feb. 18, 2021. The family was visiting a mobile warming station to stay warm as they went days without power.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
Freezing temperatures are dangerous for homeless people. Shelters are urging Texans to come in off the streets.
Advocates and social workers say there’s enough capacity at warming centers and shelters to ensure no one will be turned away. Full Story
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![A homeless Austinite wears extra blankets to protect against the cold as an unprecedented winter storm grips much of Texas on Feb. 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas cities face difficulties counting their unsheltered homeless population — at a time when their numbers matter most
Despite changes to the regular count of people experiencing homelessness, support organizations are hoping they’ll still be able to capture a clear picture of who is unhoused in Texas as the pandemic continues. Full Story
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![Nicole Aurit sits by her tent under a highway overpass in downtown Austin on Jan. 15, 2021. Aurit had been working as a manager at a Supercuts before her job shut down due to COVID-19.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas tenants behind on rent will soon be able to seek aid from $1.3 billion assistance program
The statewide program will start on Feb. 15 and will be able to help tenants with past and future rent. Full Story
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![An East Austin neighborhood.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune -
An eviction moratorium expires at the end of the month, but thousands of Texans are still not able to afford rent
Communities of color are especially struggling to keep their homes. While more than half of white Texans are highly confident in being able to pay rent, only 21% of Black Texans and 14% of Hispanic Texans say the same. Full Story
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![Elsa Ramirez, and her daughters Josseline, 11, and Francheska, 4, stand outside their home in Houston on Dec. 14, 2020. She and her three kids have managed to stay housed in her two-bedroom apartment, thanks to a federal eviction moratorium that expires at the end of the month.]()
Credit: Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribune -
A controversial rule limiting housing options for homeless Texans with criminal records was softened, but it still worries advocates
The regulation applies to new supportive housing projects, which provide subsidized homes and social services. Gov. Greg Abbott still needs to approve the rule by Dec. 1. Full Story
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![Tents at the state-run homeless encampment off of U.S. Highway 183 in Austin on Feb. 25, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texans with criminal records face increasingly limited housing options. Homeless advocates say a new rule could leave them with even fewer choices.
The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs is proposing that people with certain criminal convictions be temporarily or permanently blocked from living in tax-supported developments that provide support services. Full Story
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![Tents at a homeless encampment on state-owned property in Austin on Feb. 25, 2020.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas tenants are still struggling to stop evictions a month after federal moratorium was announced
Since Sept. 17, court citations include information on how to apply for protections. But some eviction cases had already begun. And the moratorium will only delay proceedings for some renters. Full Story
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![An East Austin neighborhood.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles for The Texas Tribune
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