Landlords in Austin are about to lose one of their favorite tricks: tacking on mystery charges just as a renter is ready to sign. On May 28, 2026, Austin City Council approved an ordinance that will require landlords and property managers to spell out nearly every extra charge - application, pet, amenity and administrative fees - before a prospective renter pays or applies. Supporters and tenant advocates say the change is meant to stop surprise costs that can suddenly push a unit out of reach for households watching every dollar.
Who must disclose and when it starts
The rule is not a flip-the-switch change, it phases in by portfolio size. Providers who lease, rent or manage 50 or more dwellings or mobile-home/RV spaces must comply beginning Oct. 1, 2026. Smaller landlords get a little more time, with a deadline of Jan. 1, 2027 to meet the new requirements, according to the City of Austin draft ordinance. That draft lays out definitions for mandatory, optional and variable fees and makes clear the rules apply to owners, managers and their agents.
What landlords must tell renters
Under the measure, providers have to put the numbers in writing either when they give a lease quote or before a customer submits an application. The disclosure must itemize mandatory and optional fees and estimate variable charges such as utilities. Any advertisement that includes a rent price also has to show the total monthly cost of base rent plus mandatory recurring fixed fees, as reported by KXAN. Tenants and tenant advocates say that earlier, clearer disclosures should make it easier to comparison-shop across properties and to avoid last-minute sticker shock at move-in.
Enforcement, outreach and next steps
Enforcement will be complaint-based. Staff say validated complaints can be referred to Municipal Court, and violations may carry misdemeanor penalties and fines of $500 or less. After adoption, the city manager is expected to designate an accountable official to administer the rules, oversee a public-awareness campaign and return to council with a follow-up report six months after the ordinance's effective date, according to staff recommendations.
City outreach ahead of the vote already included nearly 500 participants in late 2025 and additional engagement in April 2026 while the rules were drafted, according to the city's staff recommendation. That feedback helped shape how the ordinance would roll out and who would be on the hook first.
A national push
Austin's move is part of a bigger, national fight over so-called "junk fees" in rental housing. The Federal Trade Commission published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on unfair or deceptive rental-housing fee practices in March 2026 and invited public comment. That federal attention, along with similar state-level proposals, helped shape the city's timeline and the scope of the disclosure requirements, according to city documents and federal materials. For renters here, it means the growing scrutiny of hidden fees is landing squarely at the local leasing office.
