Renters Roadmap helps renters understand how to avoid eviction

AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Apartment Association (AAA) today issued a Renters Roadmap to help renters who are behind on their rent work together with their rental housing providers in an effort to avoid eviction.

Depending on a renter’s address, the number of months rent is in arrears, and the monthly rental rate, renters may face different scenarios when navigating their path to avoid eviction, following the June 1 expiration of the eviction moratoria in the Austin area.

The AAA Renter Roadmap helps renters better understand how current eviction orders and ordinances affect them, and how to navigate their individual scenario to take the nearest "exit" opportunity to avoid eviction.

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FOX 7 Discussion: Rules for renters, evictions during COVID-19 pandemic

Renee Zahn with the Austin Apartment Association joins Marcel Clarke to talk about new rules over evictions and grace periods for rent payments due to COVID-19.

"Keeping up with all the rules and requirements of various rental assistance programs and eviction moratoriums can be overwhelming for renters and property managers alike," said Emily Blair, Austin Apartment Association.

"The Austin Apartment Association Roadmap for Renters provides renters and their property managers a tool to work together to apply for rental aid that can help keep residents in their homes, and keep property owners able to maintain the revenues needed for proper staffing and maintenance. It’s a win-win that begins with communication," Blair adds.

COVID-19 had a significant impact on housing -- for renters, rental housing providers, and the larger Austin community.

Property owners have invested significantly in training property managers and support staff on the rules and requirements and have been working diligently with their residents to pursue every available rental assistance remedy available to them, including the Texas Rent Relief program, as well as City of Austin and Travis County rent relief programs. While many of these programs allow landlords to apply on behalf of their residents, they do require residents to submit supporting documentation to be considered and approved.

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The program will provide $25 million of rental assistance to income-eligible Austin renters who are financially impacted by COVID-19.

Blair continued: "Giving a notice to vacate and proceeding with an eviction is always a difficult decision. Apartment owners are in the business of housing people so working together to find a way to keep residents in their homes while ensuring landlords have the financial means to maintain housing affordable and attainable is usually in everyone’s best interest."

"At this stage of the pandemic, after many other preventive actions such as payment plans, rent assistance applications, notices of proposed evictions, etc. have taken place, eviction proceedings are the final action available to landlords, many of whom are small business owners. If we are to rise together out of this pandemic, we must first work together to meet the needs of all," Blair says.

With eviction moratoria expiring, AAA encourages residents still behind on their rent to communicate with their property managers now, so they can work together to pursue rental assistance and exit the road to eviction. The AAA website at www.austinaptassoc.com/renters includes information about some relief and resources available for area renters.