Austin is tightening the rules for landlords who benefit from public dollars, rolling out tougher tenant protections at city-supported affordable rental complexes. Property owners in the Rental Housing Development Assistance program will be required to adopt eviction-prevention plans, spell out clearer lease protections, and submit to stronger compliance checks. Housing staff told the City Council's Housing & Planning Committee on April 14 that two projects to update RHDA oversight and tenant protections are underway and expected to finish by fall 2026. Council sponsors say the aim is to make eviction a last resort and stabilize lower-income communities that rely on city-subsidized apartments.
Council direction and funding
As reported by Community Impact, the City Council this month signed off on a package of housing dollars that channels more than $50 million into preserving and building affordable units through RHDA and the Ownership Housing Development Assistance program. The money will support new construction, rehab work, and local voucher assistance, and city staff say some of those funds will now come with stronger tenant-protection strings attached. The funding push is intended to shore up subsidized properties at risk of conversion or vacancy and to back the policy work council ordered last fall.
What the resolutions require
In November, the council passed resolutions directing the city manager to update the RHDA program guidelines and the RHDA Lease Addendum. The changes are expected to include eviction-prevention measures, a ban on unilateral mid-lease changes, and expanded protections for applicants, along with guidance on eviction-prevention plans for the Housing & Planning Committee. The resolutions set up a stakeholder process and a timeline for staff to craft new rules and tenant education materials. Per the City of Austin, staff were instructed to bring guidance on eviction-prevention plans to the committee by April 2026.
Staff timeline and projects
On April 14, Austin Housing staff told committee members that two projects launched in response to resolutions by council members Zo Qadri and Mike Siegel are already in motion and are expected to wrap up by fall 2026. The department has also created a new division to manage RHDA rental projects. Staff said implementation will lean on feedback from property managers, tenant advocates and the program's longtime monitor, and could involve training for managers and stepped-up compliance checks. Those next steps were reported by Community Impact.
Why now
City officials say the new focus on eviction-prevention plans comes as Austin tightens how it spends dwindling rental-assistance funds and faces a rise in eviction filings. Earlier this year, the city announced that the I Belong in Austin rent-assistance portal would close after a final March application window, and that remaining money would shift to negotiated eviction settlements and legal advocacy, a change city leaders say prioritizes households already facing court. That closure and funding pivot were reported by KUT, which noted the move stems partly from reduced program funding and heavy demand.
What experts recommend
HousingWorks Austin told the committee that eviction-prevention plans work best when they include early intervention, rental assistance targeted to keeping people housed, tenant case management, mediation, and landlord training. Those approaches, used in peer cities, have been shown to reduce eviction filings and displacement. The briefing outlined sample plan elements, compliance needs, and incentives that can be tied to local subsidy programs, and urged the city to offer templates and training for property managers. Those recommendations were detailed by HousingWorks Austin.
Legal implications
City documents point to a broader legal backdrop: state law changes such as SB 38 have sped up eviction timelines, a shift the resolutions cite as a key reason for local action. Council-directed updates instruct staff to build compliance and monitoring systems, outline possible penalties for noncompliance, and test how well rules are followed with tools like a "secret shopper" program. The goal is to make sure landlords who accept city funds actually honor the tenant protections on the books. These compliance priorities are laid out in the RHDA compliance resolution and related materials filed with the City of Austin.
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