Do this today
- Keep the increase letter.
- Check whether your lease is still in term.
- Ask Austin 311 whether a local ordinance covers this address.
Does Austin cap rent increases?
Not as a national rule, and not as a rumor. Coverage is an address-and-housing-type question. Confirm any Austin-only rule on the City site. Do not rely on an old local ordinance the state later limited. Ask Austin 311. Then read Texas Property Code — residential tenancies for the Texas floor.
What if I am still in a lease term?
A lease still in term is not the same as month-to-month. The letter in your hand may be a renewal offer, a notice, or something that does not apply yet. Keep it. Do not treat a blog percentage as the law.
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
Can my landlord in Austin raise the rent whenever they want?
Not while a fixed term is running, in most places — and some Austin units have extra local rules. Confirm any Austin-only rule on the City site. Do not rely on an old local ordinance the state later limited. Confirm coverage with Austin 311.
Where do I check if my building is covered?
Austin 311. Coverage is an address question. A neighbor’s building is not your building. Texas Property Code — residential tenancies is still the Texas floor.
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.
What number should I call in Austin?
Danger: 911. Mental-health crisis: 988. City services: 311. Court papers: LawHelp.org the same day. Austin 311 does not replace legal aid when a case is filed.
National answers on this desk
Last reviewed 8 September 2026. Legal information, not legal advice. Not a law firm. hello@renterprotection.org