The law seeks to address a growing number of HOA regulations that prohibit renting to Section 8 voucher recipients.
According to an article by Sarah Holder and Kriston Capps in Bloomberg CityLab, “A state law will prohibit homeowners associations from discriminating against tenants using rental vouchers.”
The law comes in response to an effort by multiple Texas HOA’s to ban renters using Section 8 housing vouchers. “The practice has been more widespread than previously known: At least 15 HOAs comprising thousands of homes in the Dallas area have at one point restricted voucher users.”
The authors note that “After the law goes into effect Sept. 1, finding these policies and making sure they are removed may be quite a challenge. The law doesn't outline any enforcement mechanism.” State Representative Chris Turner, who introduced the new legislation, “acknowledged that the law does not address broader rental restrictions HOAs have applied, and said it was something that he would ‘look at’ in the future.”
The article concludes, “The law’s impact will also depend on where HOA policies go next, and whether homeowners continue to reinforce old barriers. State laws can change, federal regulations can adjust, but the community rules governing HOAs can adapt even quicker.”
FULL STORY: How Texas HOAs Are Keeping Low-Income Renters Out
Denver Law Would End Source-of-Income Discrimination
The law would prohibit Denver landlords from refusing Section 8 vouchers as rental payment.
Eight Ohio Towns Ban Source of Income Discrimination in Housing
The group doesn’t include Cleveland, where landlords can explicitly exclude housing voucher recipients from rental properties.
‘Renters Bill of Rights’ One Step Closer to Reality
The Biden administration could strengthen tenant protections on a national scale by leveraging federally backed mortgages to mandate rent stabilization and bar discrimination in rental housing.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.
Why Should We Subsidize Public Transportation?
Many public transit agencies face financial stress due to rising costs, declining fare revenue, and declining subsidies. Transit advocates must provide a strong business case for increasing public transit funding.
Paris Bike Boom Leads to Steep Drop in Air Pollution
The French city’s air quality has improved dramatically in the past 20 years, coinciding with a growth in cycling.
Why Housing Costs More to Build in California Than in Texas
Hard costs like labor and materials combined with ‘soft’ costs such as permitting make building in the San Francisco Bay Area almost three times as costly as in Texas cities.
San Diego County Sees a Rise in Urban Coyotes
San Diego County experiences a rise in urban coyotes, as sightings become prevalent throughout its urban neighbourhoods and surrounding areas.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
City of Santa Clarita
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service