Newsletter Signup
The Austin Monitor thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Most Popular Stories
- How Trump’s federal funding freeze is beginning to affect Austin
- APD won’t enforce SB 14 as Paxton and Trump further attack gender-affirming health care
- After shutting off mental health care for Austin musicians, SIMS Foundation restarts services
- Commercial EV station moves forward despite opposition
- Austin ISD announces hiring freeze as budget deficit grows to $110 million
-
-
Discover News By District
-
Stories by Audrey McGlinchy, KUT
U.S. accuses six landlords of rent price fixing. See which apartments they own in Austin.
Lee esta historia en español Tens of thousands of renters in the Austin area may have had their rents set by landlords accused of using software to illegally fix prices, according to a Department of Justice lawsuit and an analysis…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jan 21, 2025
Austin went on a land-buying spree in 2020. So far, little has been built on it.
Lee esta historia en español As Austin was coordinating Covid-19 test centers and trying to secure personal protective equipment at the start of the pandemic, it was also buying land. Lots of it. Thirteen acres by July 2020. Another 3…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Dec 18, 2024
After a decline last year, Travis County homeowners should expect a return to rising property taxes
Lee esta historia en español As Austin-area homeowners receive their latest property tax bills this winter, they should expect to see an increase. According to an analysis by the Travis County Tax Office, the average property tax bill this year…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Dec 11, 2024
Watson is ahead in election for Austin mayor, but it's unclear if he'll avoid a runoff
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson is ahead in the city’s mayoral race with just over 50% of the vote, according to unofficial voting totals. It appears the incumbent might be able to eke out an outright win over his four opponents…
Elections • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Nov 6, 2024
Austin reopens applications for people who need help paying rent
Lee esta historia en español Low-income renters struggling to afford their monthly rent can now apply to get help from the city. Austin has about $3.6 million to dole out, after City Council members approved a new budget earlier this year.…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Nov 4, 2024
Youth homelessness has increased rapidly in Austin, according to nonprofit data
The number of young people experiencing homelessness in Travis County, which includes most of Austin, has risen substantially in the past four years, according to numbers from a nonprofit that tracks the issue. Since 2020, the number of people under…
Austin • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Oct 18, 2024
Subscribe to our newsletter
As rents across the country go up, Austin prices continue to fall
During the pandemic, Austin came to exemplify the story of housing across the country: Prices went through the roof. In 2021, the average monthly rent in the region rose 25 percent. Similar increases happened in cities in California and Arizona.…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Sep 11, 2024
Builders can now construct homes on less land, as Austin’s new minimum lot size goes into effect
A controversial rule that lowers the amount of land needed to build one house in Austin goes into effect Friday. Landowners wanting to build a home in some city neighborhoods will now need 1,800 square feet of land, about two-thirds…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Aug 16, 2024
Rents in Austin are down. But many renters still struggle to find housing they can afford.
When the rent payment on Leigh Vladyka’s Austin apartment comes out of his bank account, he tries to avoid looking. Each month, almost half of his take-home pay goes to rent. Nearly $1,600 gone from the $3,400 deposited. And there…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Aug 6, 2024
Chris Riley, former Austin City Council member and urbanist, dies at 60
Chris Riley, who served as a City Council member from 2009 to 2015, died Sunday after a battle with cancer. A native Austinite, Riley was known as a fierce advocate for bike infrastructure and denser housing at a time when…
City Council • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jul 30, 2024
Austin has a high rate of segregation between homeowners and renters, study finds
Renters and homeowners in the Austin metro live more sequestered from each other than in other U.S. cities, according to a study from Harvard University released last week. The Austin area has one of the highest levels of renter and homeowner…
Housing • By Audrey McGlinchy, KUT • Jun 25, 2024
Austin approves additional property tax breaks for seniors and people with disabilities
City Council voted Thursday to raise the property tax exemption for homeowners who are 65 years and older and those with a disability. The move is an attempt to further curtail the amount of money residents pay taxes on. Homeowners…
