Clarification to Tenant Relocation Ordinance

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Jose Chito Vela
Posts: 80
Joined: Fri Feb 11, 2022 8:16 am

Clarification to Tenant Relocation Ordinance

Post by Jose Chito Vela »

Colleagues,

The 2016 Tenant Relocation Ordinance is one of the best renter protections Austin has and I’m so grateful to all its original supporters – Mayor Adler; Council Members Tovo, Renteria, Kitchen, and Pool; and former Council Members Casar, Garza and Houston – for passing the ordinance. I especially want to thank Council Member Tovo and her staff member, Ashley Richardson, for helping my office with the language of this amendment.

Recently, concerns have been raised about that it is possible to misinterpret the ordinance’s applicability so tenants are forced to complain to the city when they should be covered automatically and unequivocally. There is an urgent need for clarification to fulfill the ordinance’s original intent - to assist renters displaced by rapid development.

This amendment does not represent a substantive change - no additional tenants are covered that were not covered previously. It simply clarifies that the ordinance applies to any building activity that results in a permanent loss of housing for tenants, as originally intended. Explicitly including repair serves that goal.

I invite each of your offices to co-sponsor this measure, because I know it was a central goal of the 2016 council to protect renters from displacement. For those of us who were not on council at the time, I invite you to co-sponsor this item as well in service to our collective commitment to anti-displacement initiatives.

Sincerely,

Chito
Vanessa Fuentes
Posts: 63
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2021 9:02 am

Re: Clarification to Tenant Relocation Ordinance

Post by Vanessa Fuentes »

Thank you for bringing forward this amendment, CM Vela. I'd also like to co-sponsor this ordinance change.

Yours in community,
Vanessa
Council Member, District 2
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