Construction begins on two affordable housing communities in Harris County for seniors, families in need
With the rising rent prices, these affordable housing projects come at a vital time.
Texas must build hundreds of thousands of homes to lower housing costs, says state comptroller
Texas needs hundreds of thousands more homes than it has, per one estimate. That shortage has driven up home prices and rents.
โI donโt feel safeโ: Northwest Harris County residents say squatters are ruining their neighborhood
Texas Central Railway purchased 41 homes in the White Oak subdivision with plans to eventually remove them and make way for the high-speed train project, but now, many of the purchased houses have fallen into disrepair, and squatters have moved into them.
Airbnb.org offering FREE, temporary housing for Houston residents displaced by Hurricane Beryl
"Stays are completely free for guests and are funded by Airbnb.org and the generosity of Airbnb hostsโmany of whom offer their home for free or at a discount through Airbnb.org," the popular vacation destination website said in a press release.
Houston area business owner teaching young adults how to build a career in commercial real estate
As living costs rise, young adults are seeking lucrative career paths. Ed Ryland, CEO of ARVO Realty Advisors, is mentoring the next generation in commercial real estateโa challenging yet rewarding field. Learn how his program offers internships, jobs, and mentorship to help you succeed.
As more Texans struggle with housing costs, homeownership becoming less attainable
A new housing report from Harvard University found that would-be homebuyers need to make more money than ever if they want to buy a home in Texasโ urban areas.
With new platform, Texas Democrats may find common ground with Republicans on housing affordability crisis
The Democratsโ recently approved platform includes calls to loosen zoning rules, which housing experts believe contribute to high housing costs.
Texas legislators want to help property owners deal with squatters. But the changes could affect tenants.
Housing advocates say Texas laws fall short when it comes to property trespassers but they warn changes could worsen the stateโs evictions crisis.
Ask Amy: 13 things to ask before you hire a roofer
Texas is the only Gulf State that doesnโt license roofers. Anybody can call themselves a roofer. Thatโs why you have to protect yourself. Investigator Amy Davis has a list of what you should ask before hiring a roofing contractor.
Push to enforce occupancy rule in College Station highlights Texas A&M studentsโ housing woes
The new fines underscore the challenges college students face when looking for affordable housing โ and how cities struggle to provide it.
Texas General Land Office working to find displaced residents owed relocation assistance
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham met with Houston City Council Tuesday to address the hundreds of people who are owed relocation assistance.
Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Harris County to block program that would give cash to poorest households
The program would give roughly 1,900 households payments of $500 for 18 months with no strings attached. Paxton called it โplainly unconstitutional.โ
Republicansโ budding interest in Texasโ housing crisis could create strange political bedfellows
Republican lawmakers may try to force Texas cities to allow greater housing density as the state faces a housing crunch.
Why some Texas cities are getting rid of their minimum parking rules
Most cities require homes and businesses to have parking. Critics say they drive up housing costs, foster car dependency and raise carbon emissions.
Gov. Greg Abbott wants the Texas Legislature to rein in investors behind large-scale home purchases
So-called institutional homebuyers noticeably ramped up home purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. But housing experts point out investors have retreated amid high interest rates.
Rural housing programs serve Texasโ elderly and disabled. This federal bill could make the process easier.
Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett introduced House Bill 7412 to fix administrative issues that have created hurdles for some in rural communities.
Amid high rents, eviction filings in major Texas cities soar above pre-pandemic levels
Legal aid groups and housing advocates say there simply arenโt enough lawyers to keep up with the sheer volume of eviction filings.
Homelessness in Texas on the rise amid high housing costs, federal estimates show
Homelessness rose last year across nearly every demographic group, but strides were made to connect people with new housing.
Six years after Hurricane Harvey, the city of Houston still hasnโt allocated $200 million in relief funds
Both the state and the city of Houston say they want to work together to help pay down the remaining funds.
Houston Housing Authority greenlights mixed income development in Independence Heights
Providing safe and affordable housing for those who need it here in Houston was the subject of several votes the Houston Housing Authority Board took up Tuesday evening.
Austin will now allow more homes to be built on single-family lots
City officials hope that allowing up to three units per lot will increase supply and slow the explosive increase in housing costs. The measure was approved by Austin City Council in a 9-2 vote late Thursday night.
More than 765,000 older Texans are struggling to cover housing costs
A new Harvard University study found an increase in the number of Texas households headed by people 65 or older spending more than 30% of their income on housing. Advocates say keeping older adults housed will require substantial public investment and reforms.
โJust overwhelmingโ: Entire Galveston County mobile home community evicted
In what locals call Dickinson, but what is actually an area of Galveston County under Texas City jurisdiction, dozens of families are being forced out of their homes.
As Texans struggle with housing costs, cities look for new ways to spur more home construction
In cities dominated by single-family neighborhoods, local leaders across Texas want a broader variety of housing to combat the affordability crisis.
Jackson Lee discusses plans for city as mayoral candidate, New Hope Housing is growing, and more on Houston Newsmakers
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee outlines her priorities for the city as she runs for Houston mayor.
Printing a place to live: In Central Texas, homes are being built with emerging 3D technology
Using robotic 3D printers that can build the concrete walls of a house, a pair of Texas startups say the technology could help alleviate two crises: the housing shortage and climate change.
Colony Ridge developer defends Houston-area community as state leaders vow action against it
GOP leaders claim the development markets to undocumented people and is plagued by crime. One of its owners refutes the allegations and says heโs ready to show lawmakers that Colony Ridge isnโt different than any other rural Texas community.
Austin will try again to tame its housing affordability crisis with zoning reforms. Can it do it this time?
The cityโs decades-long battle to overhaul local rules to allow more, denser housing to be built may be reaching a turning point.
Billions in property tax cuts need Texas votersโ approval before taking effect. Hereโs what you need to know.
Legislation passed this month would raise the stateโs homestead exemption to $100,000, lower schoolsโ tax rates and put an appraisal cap on residential and commercial properties, among other measures. But voters must approve a constitutional amendment first.
โThereโs no way I could survive hereโ: Houston, Harris County rent up by 28.5%, according to Kinder Institute
LeShawn Fondren moved to Houston almost a year ago to be close to her fiancรฉ and his family. Since the move, sheโs been renting a place and it hasnโt been easy.
Long-awaited $18 billion property tax-cut deal heads to Gov. Greg Abbott
House Democrats attempted to insert benefits for renters and more money for public education into the tax-cuts package in a series of floor amendments but were unsuccessful.
Texas House and Senate reach a deal on how to cut property taxes
The deal would channel $12 billion to reduce the school property tax rate for homeowners and business properties, increase the homestead exemption, and create a pilot program to reduce taxes on certain residential and commercial properties. The legislation is expected to pass later this week.
Texas bans homeownersโ associations from discriminating against renters who receive federal housing aid
State lawmakers passed the law after a North Texas homeownersโ association barred landlords from renting to Section 8 tenants. Most of the affected tenants in that neighborhood were Black.
As Texas lawmakers tussle over property tax relief, itโs unclear whether renters will benefit
Texasโ top Republicans are fighting over how to split property tax cuts between businesses and homeowners. Democrats want renters to see relief, too.
โWe donโt want to change the flavorโ: Neighborhood president questions affordable housing plan in Third Ward
For many years, the Midtown Redevelopment Authority has created new opportunities for affordable housing in Houstonโs Greater Third Ward community.
Spencer By Zip: Helping you to lower your property taxes
For just about every homeowner in Texas, it is a huge, aggravating, infuriating problem.Weโre talking about your property taxes, which just keep soaring higher and higher.
Gov. Greg Abbott and House Speaker Dade Phelan join forces on property taxes. It might help the push for school vouchers.
Phelan announced the formation of a House committee that could set the tone in favor of vouchers ahead of an expected special session on education. The move comes weeks after Abbott sided with Phelan on a plan to lower property taxes.
At the fringes of Houstonโs prosperity, the cityโs eviction machine is running full throttle
Houston has seen eviction rates soar since pandemic protections for renters lapsed. At one apartment complex, ejecting people from their homes is a ritual part of the business model.
Texas lawmakers fail to reach last-minute deal to cut property taxes
After negotiations that became tense and public, the House and Senate fell short of delivering on one of the biggest legislative priorities for Republicans in the regular legislative session.
Bills to build more homes โ and lower housing costs โ fail quietly in final days of the Texas Legislature
Democrats played a major role in killing legislation aimed at boosting Texasโ flagging housing supply โ to the frustration of housing advocates.
Texas House approves property tax bill with changes the Senate might not like
House lawmakers added a significant boost to the Senateโs proposed homestead exemption and tacked on a contentious idea to lower the stateโs appraisal cap.
Why tax policy experts fear the Texas House plan to lower property taxes could have dire ripple effects
Both the House and the Senateโs proposals on property tax cuts would give modest savings to the typical Texas homeowner, but critics say the House plan could create vast inequities and disproportionately benefit wealthy homeowners.
As Texas college students struggle with affordability, UT-Austin launches program to offset on-campus housing costs
Demand for on-campus housing has gone up across the country as off-campus costs have skyrocketed and students seek more affordable options.
Rift grows between Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan over how to cut property taxes
The Senate wants to raise the homestead exemption. The House wants to tighten the appraisal cap. Both chambersโ leaders are skeptical of each otherโs proposal.
To tackle high housing costs, Texas lawmakers push to build more homes
Housing advocates, builders and real estate experts agree that the state simply isnโt building enough homes to keep up with its booming population and economic growth.
The Texas House and Senate differ on how to cut property taxes. Hereโs what their proposals say.
Cuts to school property tax bills. Bigger tax benefits for homeowners. A controversial idea to limit property tax growth. Hereโs what you need to know about the brewing property tax debate at the Texas Legislature.
Texas Rent Relief application portal closing Thursday after flood of requests for assistance โfar exceeded available fundingโ
The Texas Rent Relief Program announced Wednesday that it will be closing its application portal early due to the overwhelming amount of submissions which flooded in just 24 hours after reopening.
Texas renters got unprecedented help during the pandemic. The Legislature is unlikely to extend it.
Lawmakers will decide whether to keep protections that shielded tenants from eviction โ or to ban them.
Texas Houseโs property tax bill calls for $17 billion in cuts, tighter appraisal cap
Texas House Speaker Dade Phelanโs proposal reveals the different roads the Texas House and Senate want to take on property taxes โ and the fight that might emerge between the two chambers this session.
Rent relief: $96M available to eligible Houston-area renters; What to know before you apply
Applications for the Texas Rent Relief Program are slated to reopen later this month, for a limited time.
Mayors in some of Texasโ biggest cities face little opposition in May reelection bids
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker face little opposition in their reelection bids. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson doesnโt have any challengers.
Houston wanted to lead the nation in long-term affordable housing. Now itโs backpedaling.
Houstonโs community land trust was once touted as an innovative way to address its housing crisis. But city leaders slashed its funding by half as bureaucracy bogged down the program and enthusiasm dwindled.
Houston opens new center to help transition homeless population off streets and into permanent housing
Houstonโs largest homeless encampment has been decommissioned as the city looks to transition people living on the streets to permanent housing.
Hereโs what you need to know about the fight over property tax cuts in the Texas Legislature
Republicans are wrestling over how much of the stateโs nearly $33 billion budget surplus to spend on property taxes. Democrats have their own ideas about what to do with the cash.
Texas shelters prepare for twin emergencies: arctic cold and an increase in migrants
Cities and nonprofits are using a variety of strategies to keep unhoused people warm. But some organizations warn theyโre already at capacity as El Paso sends migrants across the state.
Austin voters elect Kirk Watson, who served as mayor two decades ago, to lead the city again
Watson, a former state senator who was Austinโs mayor from 1997 to 2001, pitched himself as a back-to-basics candidate who could ease the cityโs growing affordability crisis.
City of Galveston accepting mortgage assistance applications for those who experienced financial hardship due to COVID-19
The City of Galveston is accepting applications for mortgage assistance for those who need help making their payments.
On the margins of downtown San Antonio, a maligned neighborhood mobilizes to save itself
Born of segregation and redlining, the near West Side has long been mostly Latino, mostly low-income. Redevelopment pressures are closing in, and neighbors are working to keep it affordable for some of the cityโs poorest residents.
Why some Texas cities and counties had to return millions of dollars meant to help renters during the pandemic
For some local relief programs, a lack of staffing, political support and effective community outreach got in the way of spending federal funds to prevent evictions, a new report found. More than $30 million went unspent and had to be returned.
Herschel Walker, running for U.S. Senate in Georgia, still gets tax break on $3 million Texas residence
Under Texas law, homeowners can claim a homestead exemption only on their primary residence. The GOP Senate candidate registered to vote in Georgia last year.
With rents rising fast, Texas homeless shelters see more families seeking help
Amid rising housing costs and relentless inflation, an increasing number of Texans are struggling to pay their rent and stay in their homes.
Texasโ housing market shows signs of cooling down after the pandemic drove it to new heights
Texas had more houses on the market in July than any time since late 2020 as home sales declined in the stateโs major metros. Sellers have had to cut prices to entice buyers.
Dallas landlord made record profits while evading eviction moratoriums, U.S. House committee says
Four corporate landlords, including Dallas-based Invitation Homes, tried to evict thousands of tenants during a federal ban on evictions, according to an investigation by a congressional subcommittee.
Homeless Texans left with few places to cool off during record heat
Heat-related emergency calls have spiked amid historic heat. Cooling centers are available in major cities but often close in the late afternoon โ during the hottest parts of the day.
A neighborhoodโs new anti-Section 8 rules will push many Black residents out of a North Texas suburb
Landlords in Texas donโt have to accept renters who receive federal housing assistance, but a Denton County community is taking it a big step further: making most of the town off limits to Section 8 tenants.
Texas Legislature holds interim charge hearing on Texas housing crisis
The Texas House of Representatives Committee on Urban Affairs held an interim charge hearing on the housing crisis in Texas, barriers to the development of more housing, and legislative solutions to lower the cost of housing for Texas families and businesses on Thursday morning.
Austin becomes the first Texas city to experiment with โguaranteed incomeโ
Austin joins at least 28 U.S. cities, like Los Angeles, Chicago and Pittsburgh, that have tried out some form of โguaranteed incomeโ โ financial assistance targeted at needy households.
Eviction filings in Texasโ major cities reach new highs since pandemic began
Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin all ranked among the top 10 cities for new eviction filings in early April, among the 31 cities tracked by Eviction Lab.
Some landlords got a piece of Texasโ $2 billion in rent relief money โ and evicted their struggling tenants anyway
Itโs unclear whether landlords face any penalties from state agencies for improperly evicting tenants while receiving rent relief dollars intended to help those tenants stay housed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stronger Houston: Program to help Houstonโs homeless community sees major success during pandemic
The city of Houston, Harris County and a non-profit have been working amid the pandemic to reduce the number of people who are homeless and in emergency shelters.
A year after feds allocate funds, Texas launches program to help homeowners avoid foreclosure because of COVID-19
Twenty-five states, including California and New York, preceded Texas in getting federally backed programs up and running to help homeowners suffering financial hardship because of COVID-19.
Elderly residents at Pleasant Village Apartments fear eviction because of new ownership, increased rent
For decades, the Pleasant Village apartments have served as a home for senior residents in Pleasantville. Now, many of them fear they will be evicted and displaced because of new ownership.
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.
Home prices soared during the pandemic. Hereโs what that looks like in one East Texas city.
Texasโ housing crunch has spread outside of the stateโs major metropolitan areas and into more rural parts of Texas. Smaller cities and towns saw steep increases in home prices as COVID-19 spread.
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.
Fort Bend and Montgomery County named among top areas for housing growth in US Census list
If you are a resident in Fort Bend or Montgomery County and have noticed a rise in new housing units popping up in your area, you are not just imagining things.
Citing overwhelming demand, Texas Rent Relief Program will stop taking new applications after Friday
Housing advocates worry some Texans wonโt get the help they need as the state enters the cold winter months.
El difรญcil camino para acceder a los fondos de asistencia para el alquiler
ยฟBusca 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.
Houston Newsmakers: Houston attorney โa driving forceโ behind tribute to Lyndon B. Johnson
Houston Newsmakers: Houston attorney โa driving forceโ behind tribute to Lyndon B. Johnson
Houston-area property managers accused of discriminating against people with disabilities, violating Fair Housing Act
Several Houston-area property managers have been charged by the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) with violating the Fair Housing Act.
WATCH | Episode 2: Solutionaries tackles affordable housing crisis
Episode 2 of โSolutionariesโ tackles the lack of affordable housing across America and highlights the people and organizations who are working to solve the crisis.
The nationwide ban on evictions is over. Hereโs what Texas renters need to know.
Thereโs $1 billion in rental assistance available to struggling Texas tenants. But for many renters, getting the help they need depends on where they live.
You paid HOW much over asking? Tell us your wild housing market stories here
Weโve all heard about it by now: Houses are selling like crazy (and they have been for quite some time), interest rates have been at all-time lows, and it seems like everywhere you turn, you learn of another wild real estate story.
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.