Paul Rodriguez and dozens of his neighbors gathered Tuesday morning outside the front office of the Rosemont at Oak Valley apartments in Southeast Austin after 85 families received notice Friday that they were being evicted and must move out by July 31.
In a letter to residents, the complex told residents their leases were being terminated because of natural disaster and catastrophe caused by the February freeze that led to widespread power and water outages, and broken pipes.
“While Rosemont at Oak Valley has taken steps in order to mitigate the effects of any damage, we have found that the extent of damage experienced in your unit will unfortunately require that we terminate your lease and you to vacate the unit so that we may make the necessary repairs,” the letter states.
El Condado De Travis Reanudó Su Programa De Asistencia Para El Alquiler Hace Un Mes Hasta Hoy, Nadie Ha Recibido El Dinero kut.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kut.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
KUT
Protesters, including members of the organization Rent Strike ATX, drive down Interstate 35 and frontage roads near downtown Austin slowing traffic as part of a protest on May 1, 2020.
At least 4,000 people who say they ve been economically affected by the pandemic have applied since January for Travis County s rent relief program, which currently has $10.7 million in federal funds.
However, none of them have received aid yet.
And while the county says it hopes to begin disbursing rent funds by early June, the end of some local eviction protections is fast approaching.
“We do believe that we will certainly be able to get payments out in a manner that will help folks address any concerns that they re headed towards eviction,” Sherri Fleming, the head of Travis County Health and Human Services told KUT.
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 ones will be safe from eviction until at least Aug. 1.
On Friday, Austin and Travis County officials extended an eviction ban that has been in place for much of the pandemic; the order was set to expire Saturday. But this time there were some changes, most notably that landlords may now file an eviction against a tenant who owes five months or more of rent going back to April 2020. In these cases, the landlord and the tenant must have exhausted all rental assistance options.
East Austin residents at freeze-damaged Mount Carmel Village reach deal with property owners statesman.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from statesman.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.