Tenants at Harris County-funded apartments guaranteed timely repairs, protection from unjust evictions

Housing advocates joined Pct. 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis and other local officials on Wednesday to celebrate the passage of tenant protections that aim to hold accountable the landlords who accept funds from Harris County for their housing developments. The announcement was made outside Cleme Manor in Fifth Ward, which came under new management last summer after the Houston Chronicle reported on deplorable housing conditions at the complex. Julia Orduņa, southeast Texas regional director at the nonprofit Texas Housers, called the measure "a monumental step in tenants rights and housing justice in Harris County."

"We cannot stand by and let our working class, and families, be ignored and neglected because they do not own their home and they rent," Orduņa said. "Government actions like this tenant protection policy help tenants ask for solutions and demand equal treatment. It creates accountability for landlords and developers who promise to upkeep these developments and provide adequate housing with local funding." The protections passed in Commissioners Court on Tuesday by a 3-0 vote, on a day that Republican commissioners Jack Cagle and Tom Ramsey skipped the meeting for a fourth straight week to avoid a vote on the tax rate. The new rules guarantee renters the right to timely repairs and obligate landlords to provide alternative housing when a tenant's unit is unsafe or unsanitary. The protections also safeguard against unjustified evictions and housing discrimination and give renters the right to form tenant unions without fear of retaliation, among other things.