Recent Headlines

After court nixes eviction ban, race is on for federal help

Lumber prices triple, raising home prices by $36,000

Even with record-low interest rates, the American dream of owning a home is becoming further out of reach for a large portion of the population due to massive lumber price hikes. Lumber prices have tripled over the past 12 months, driving up the cost of the average new single-family home by $35,872, according to new…

Houston Apartment Rents, Occupancy Up After Sluggish 2020

The story of 2020 was record home sales and a depressed apartment market. But in 2021, apartments seem to be coming back. To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code: <iframe src=”https://embed.hpm.io/397614/397612″ style=”height: 115px; width: 100%;”></iframe> After sliding during most of 2020, Houston apartment occupancy – and rents – are…

Federal judge strikes down CDC eviction moratorium

BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention exceeded its authority when it imposed a federal eviction moratorium. The Justice Department said it would appeal the ruling from the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., meaning there won’t likely be any immediate impact on the ban, which…

D-FW apartment rents are headed higher after a pause for COVID

Dallas-area apartment rents are rebounding after setbacks during the pandemic. Average North Texas apartment rent increases stalled in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Landlords increased the number of freebies used to attract renters. But with the economy opening up and migration to the area continuing, local rents are again headed higher. D-FW apartment rents…

After yearlong ban, Austin and Travis County will let some landlords file evictions starting in June

Lee esta historia en español. Austin-area renters who have not paid rent for five months or more and have exhausted all rent assistance will once again be subject to eviction beginning June 1. Most other residential tenants and some commercial tenants will be safe from eviction until at least Aug. 1. On Friday, Austin and…

Texas Landlords Don’t Have To Disclose Flood Risk To Renters. A New Bill Would Change That

A neighborhood near Houston’s Addicks Reservoir flooded after heavy rains from Tropical Storm Harvey. Taken, Aug. 29, 2017. To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code: <iframe src=”https://embed.hpm.io/397288/397236″ style=”height: 115px; width: 100%;”></iframe> During a tour of a first-floor apartment in Cypress, Tracy Quach, a piano teacher looking for a home…

‘The landlord’s issues have been overlooked’: Texas’ other housing problem amid COVID

Rent crisis spirals for landlords awaiting $47 billion in relief

Mom-And-Pop Landlords 'Helpless,' Hurt Under Eviction Moratoriums

ACROSS AMERICA — The sigh of relief heaved by millions of U.S. renters struggling with coronavirus-related job and income loss was almost audible when President Joe Biden, with the stroke of a pen, kept a roof over their heads on his first day in office. His executive order extended a federal eviction moratorium through the…

Unpaid rent is piling up. Landlords can’t hold on forever

landlords aren’t pushed to a breaking point. “Landlords don’t want to evict tenants,” Hammer said, and more rent relief would keep tenants

Over a million Texans are still without drinking water. Smaller communities and apartments are facing the biggest challenges.

Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Over 1.4 million Texans still faced water disruptions on Wednesday afternoon, more than a week after Texas’ winter storms wreaked havoc on the state’s power grid and water services. More than 20,000 people were completely…

Apartment residents and owners struggle with damage from big freeze

As Texans deal with days of freezing weather and power outages, apartment owners and residents have been particularly hard-hit. Social media posts show water cascading out of Dallas apartments flooded by broken pipes. In many cases, fire sprinkler systems in the ceilings froze, then burst to send torrents into living spaces. Lauren Jacob posted photos…

Report: Pandemic changes prompting some San Antonio renters to move from downtown to suburbs

Rent growth stayed relatively flat in the San Antonio area last year, according to a report by the San Antonio Apartment Association. Opportunities to work remotely, skip commuting, spread out in more space and spend less on rent prompted some residents to move farther away from San Antonio’s urban core last year, a report by…

NMHC Rent Payment Tracker: 79.2% of Apartment Households Paid Rent by Feb. 6

Dallas-area renters are still ahead of U.S. in payments

Dallas renters continue to outpace the rest of the country when it comes to keeping up with monthly apartment payments. More than 87.5% of local renters have made their February rents so far, according to the latest data from Richardson-based RealPage. That compares with the nationwide figure of 79.2% of renters who had made their…

Eviction moratorium gave renters relief but property owners face billions in unpaid rent

Wall Street's favorite suburban housing bet is getting crowded

Wall Street’s zest for a corner of suburban real estate long left to small landlords is reaching new heights, attracting institutional investors, homebuilders and apartment managers during a pandemic that has ignited demand for larger homes. The pension manager for the Canadian Mounties is the latest investor in single-family rentals, joining JPMorgan Chase’s asset-management arm…

Texas tenants behind on rent will soon be able to seek aid from $1.3 billion assistance program

The statewide program should start in two weeks and could help with up to 15 months of rent for tenants that have felt the impact of the pandemic. AUSTIN, Texas — State officials plan to roll out a $1.3 billion rental assistance program for Texans struggling to keep up with housing payments during a shaky…