Tenants’ rights resolutions will be heard at Austin City Council this week

AUSTIN, Texas - At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Austin stepped up to protect renters, issuing and enforcing an eviction moratorium that resulted in Austin having some of the very lowest rates of evictions in the country during the pandemic. 

"The city led the way in renter protections in the height of the pandemic and now intends to keep leading the way beyond the COVID-19 crisis to make Austin a secure, liveable city for the more than half a million renters," a press release from the city said.

The press conference held today was to announce that the City of Austin will begin the process of implementing ordinances (Item 39 & Item 40) that will protect the rights of tenants. With the passage of two resolutions, tenants will have the right to organize. 

Austin City Council Member for District 2, Vanessa Fuentes, said one of the most effective tools to combat displacement is organizing.

"The ability of neighbors to come together and work toward common goals and support one another creates resilient and empowered communities. The types of communities that I think all of us here are working towards," said Shoshana Krieger, project director at BASTA. 

The resolutions will also ensure renters receive adequate time to remedy a potential eviction by promising a minimum of one week’s notice to vacate.

"Not having that opportunity to come up with that rent or to fix that minor lease violation means that those folks who are most active in sticking up for themselves end up leaving their communities and that further destabilizes their communities," said Krieger.

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