Austin habitability

Do this today

• Photograph the condition. Write the date.
• Dial 311 or file with Austin 311.
• If there is no heat, no water, or a gas smell: 911 or the utility first.

What does “livable” mean in Austin?

Heat, water, sanitation, and structural safety are the usual floor. The exact list is in Texas Property Code — residential tenancies and often in the city housing code Austin 311 enforces. This desk does not reprint temperature charts or hour-counts.

What if nothing happens after I report it?

Keep the request numbers from 311 or Austin 311. Take that file to legal aid. Do not skip rent on a rumor. If the condition is dangerous tonight — no heat in winter, a gas leak, a collapsed ceiling — treat it as an emergency.

What extra rules does Austin have?

Austin has added local tenant-protection ordinances on top of Chapter 92. What is in force, and what a court has paused, is a now-question — read the City, not a 2021 flyer. Code enforcement and 311 remain the conditions doors. Travis County justice court hears possession.

The Austin layer

Confirm any Austin-only rule on the City site. Do not rely on an old local ordinance the state later limited.

Texas Property Code — residential tenancies (Tex. Prop. Code ch. 92) is the Texas floor. We name it. We do not paraphrase a day-count or a dollar cap out of it.

Austin questions

National answers on this desk

• Is a landlord notice the same as being evicted?
• What number should I call right now?
• Is there a national tenant-rights law in the United States?
• What should I do if I get an eviction notice?
• How do I find free legal help as a renter?
• Can my landlord enter without notice?