This section discusses Texas laws that govern moving out of a rental, including ending a lease agreement, getting a security deposit back, and dealing with a property left in a rental.
The Austin Tenants Council provides telephone counseling, mediation services, in-house counseling, housing discrimination assistance, and lease forms. Please note that eligibility for some of these services is limited to Travis County residents who meet certain income requirements. Their website has resources that are helpful to all Texans looking for information on landlord/tenant law.
According to their website, "BASTA is a non-profit project dedicated to helping Austin renters work together to improve the conditions of their homes and communities."
The Texas Tenants' Union in Dallas provides free weekly tenants' rights workshops, organizing assistance, counseling, training, and referrals. Their website also provides specific information for HUD tenants.
The Housing Crisis Center provides many different programs for residential tenants aimed at preventing homelessness including a hotline and legal clinics. Contact them for additional information.
The Fair Housing Program of San Antonio accepts calls from Bexar County residents regarding landlord/tenant issues and serves as a mediator. From their website: "Counselors can discuss concerns involving evictions, repairs, security deposits, utilities billing and termination, code violations, lease disputes, occupancy standards and other related issues. Counselors are not attorneys and do not provide legal advice."
This non-profit organization serves the San Antonio area as well as many other counties -- including the Rio Grande Valley -- in south Texas. Their main office is in San Antonio, and they also have a field office in McAllen. The information on their site is available in English and Spanish.
The Texas Low Income Housing Information Service does not provide individual assistance to tenants but their website does provide information on tenants' rights, how to fight back, and prevention. The site also provides links to tenant and legal aid organizations.