Texas Tenants' Union

The CDC has issued a Temporary Halt in Residential Evictions to Prevent the Further Spread of COVID-19. You can read the order by clicking on the blue title. You must sign a declaration under penalty of perjury and give it to your landlord to be protected. Here is a link to the declaration: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/EvictionDeclare_d508.pdf

Here are fact sheets and declarations in other languages, via the National Low Income Housing Coalition, National Housing Law Project, and Alliance for Housing Justice.

• Arabic

• Burmese

• English

• Chinese and Traditional Chinese

• Creole

• Hmong

• Russian

• Somali

• Spanish

• Swahili

• Tagalog

• Vietnamese

• Declarations in additional languages can be found at https://nlihc.org/coronavirus-and-housing-homelessness/national-eviction-moratorium

       Do NOT sign unless each statement is true.  As always, keep a copy for your own records and have proof it is received.

Rent is still due. To find rent assistance, call 211, scroll below, and check for programs at https://nlihc.org/rental-assistance

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) has received $1.3 billion in Emergency Rental Assistance funds from the newly passed Coronavirus Relief Bill. TDHCA’s Texas Rent Relief program will accept applications from landlords and tenants beginning February 15, 2021, at 8 a.m. Learn more and apply by phone at 833-9TX-RENT / 833-989-7368.

Texas Eviction Diversion Program – The Supreme Court of Texas established the Texas Eviction Diversion Program (TEDP) through the Twenty-Seventh Emergency Order Regarding the COVID-19 State of Disaster. If you and your landlord agree to participate in the Texas Eviction Diversion Program, you may be able to have up to 15 months of the rent you owe paid and stop your eviction. ​Call 855-270-7655 or see the brochures below for more information.

• TEDP Brochure (English/Spanish)

• TEDP Brochure (English)

• TEDP Brochure (Spanish)

• TEDP Brochure (Arabic)

• TEDP Brochure (Chinese)

• TEDP Brochure (French)

• TEDP Brochure (German)

• TEDP Brochure (Korean)

• TEDP Brochure (Russian)

• TEDP Brochure (Tagalog)

• TEDP Brochure (Vietnamese)

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is taking complaints from tenants about problems with debt collectors, including attorneys seeking to evict tenants in violation of the CDC eviction moratorium. Consumers can submit a complaint at www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/ or by calling (855) 411-2372.

Austin and Dallas have passed 60-day grace period ordinances to give tenants more time to pay rent. See fact sheets on Dallas ordinance in English and Spanish at https://dallascityhall.com/departments/fairhousing/Pages/COVID-19-EVICTION-FACTS.aspx

City and County of El Paso – rents are capped at the rent level charged on March 13, 2020 until the state of disaster ends.

City of San Marcos – gives tenants a 90-day grace period to pay rent.

CARES Act – There was a moratorium on evictions for properties with federally-backed loans from March 27 to July 24, 2020. Landlords of these properties were not allowed to charge late fees during that period. Landlords of covered properties must give 30-day notice to vacate before filing with the court. You can check to see if your property is covered by the CARES Act at this link.

Travis County – Nonpayment eviction cases will not be heard until after August 1, 2021 if the tenant’s rent is $2,475.00 a month or less.

Find legal help and additional information on our links page at https://txtenants.org/links/

US News and World Report spoke with the Texas Tenants’ Union for this article.

https://realestate.usnews.com/real-estate/articles/what-you-need-to-know-about-tenant-rights-in-texas?src=usn_fb&fbclid=IwAR3tk3GNxPz3m4UgQReymHLRLwC0W5Eha3ZyxAa9PQfhcVIghVBIs__nByU