Eviction crisis spreads as affordability pressures worsen

A record-breaking 13,210 evictions were filed in Travis County in 2024, according to a memo released last week from BASTA (Building and Strengthening Tenant Action), a project of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid.

The memo, a snapshot with key evictions-related findings from 2024, found that the typical eviction case lasted around 20 days, and the median judgment amount of an eviction case was $2,984.

“Evictions, which are devastating to family stability, happen swiftly. The average timeline being a mere 20 days,” Shoshana Krieger, BASTA project director, said in a statement to the Austin Monitor.

BASTA also found that the top evicting properties file at least one eviction for every five households.

“In looking at the eviction data, we see that certain large multifamily properties routinely file evictions against a significant portion of their tenants, filing evictions against 30 percent or more of their households,” Krieger said. “Tackling eviction practices at these high-evicting properties could reduce eviction filings by almost 10 percent in Travis County.”

Jami Rivera, BASTA’s community education outreach specialist, described the personal cost of evictions in the memo: “Every week, I connect with families facing eviction due to life circumstances. Most often, I hear stories from individuals who have recently welcomed a child, undergone significant surgery or lost a loved one. When families are dealing with such difficulties, access to basic resources, community support and stable housing can be life-changing.”

In 2024, BASTA published a report examining evictions in Travis County throughout 2022 and 2023. The report also provided an analysis of eviction trends and data over the past decade, from 2014 to 2023. The report found that lower-income renters faced a higher rate of eviction than ever before. In 2023, Travis County saw 10,524 eviction filings and BASTA correctly predicted that, given the prevailing trends, that number would only grow in 2024.

The 2023 report found that evictions were disproportionately filed in communities of color, and that Austin’s right-to-cure ordinance, which offered tenants additional time to resolve lease violations, reduced the number of evictions by 27 percent.

The recent memo highlighted other key trends, including high eviction rates in tax-exempt affordable housing and a shift in eviction filings to the edges of the county.

“We are also seeing a trend this year in increased filing rates towards the outskirts of Travis County, which may indicate the spreading of the eviction crisis to the broader region as affordability pressures worsen in the Austin core,” Krieger said.

The BASTA report highlighted its eviction mitigation efforts and provided a detailed look at eviction data by geography, including justice court precincts and City Council districts. The report stressed the need for a coordinated community response to address the widespread harm caused by evictions and to ensure that no Austin or Travis County resident lives in fear of homelessness.

BASTA indicated that amid this advocacy, its staff is monitoring possible actions from the Texas Legislature that could worsen the current landscape of housing justice.

“A bill currently being considered at the Legislature, HB 32, would allow for evictions to happen even quicker, potentially in as few as four days,” Krieger said.

Photo made available through a Creative Commons license.

The Austin Monitor’s work is made possible by donations from the community. Though our reporting covers donors from time to time, we are careful to keep business and editorial efforts separate while maintaining transparency. A complete list of donors is available here, and our code of ethics is explained here.