INSIDER
It’s a nightmare scenario: discovering your home has been stolen from you without any warning. KPRC 2 Investigator Amy Davis has been delving into cases like these for years, uncovering the unsettling reality of property fraud.
“We don’t want to ban short-term rentals because that would be illegal and unconstitutional," Houston Council Member Julian Ramirez said. "What we want to do is get at the bad actors, the folks who are not following the rules."
For more than six months, residents at The Life at Sterling Woods senior living complex in South Houston have faced an escalating crisis.
Turner served in the Texas House for four years and was also executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council in the first Trump administration.
Mayor John Whitmire says his vision is to get people off of the streets and instead help get them into temporary housing; with the ultimate goal of getting them affordable housing or reuniting with family.
A new report from the Kinder Institute about the 2024 state of housing in Harris County and Houston, reveals just how pressing the need for affordable housing has become.
Mayor John Whitmire says his vision is to get people off of the streets and instead help get them into temporary housing; with the ultimate goal of getting them affordable housing or reuniting with family.
Texas desperately needs more and denser housing to keep up with the demand. But zoning restrictions get in the way, a Texas Tribune analysis found.
A new breed of activists wants Texas to tame costs by building more housing. But longstanding opposition to such policies remains strong.
A KPRC 2 investigation into the Houston Housing Authority (HHA) has exposed a series of questionable contracts and projects, prompting calls for accountability from the public. Now, Investigator Amy Davis uncovered changes to the CEO’s contract before the old one expired.
Families displaced from four flood-prone apartment complexes in Houston may be eligible for federal relocation assistance, but many are still unaccounted for, with hundreds of residents yet to claim the aid they’re entitled to under federal law.
With the rising rent prices, these affordable housing projects come at a vital time.
A five-acre piece of property in northeast Houston that once belonged to a Houston surrogacy company is now owned by a trust that will one day be able to repay families who accuse the company of fraud, according to records.
Texas needs hundreds of thousands more homes than it has, per one estimate. That shortage has driven up home prices and rents.
There are calls for legislative changes to prevent deed fraud after KPRC 2′s story about three properties getting transferred to a complete stranger and stamped by the same notary.
Texas Central Railway purchased 41 homes in the White Oak subdivision with plans to eventually remove them and make way for the high-speed train project, but now, many of the purchased houses have fallen into disrepair, and squatters have moved into them.
"Stays are completely free for guests and are funded by Airbnb.org and the generosity of Airbnb hosts—many of whom offer their home for free or at a discount through Airbnb.org," the popular vacation destination website said in a press release.
As living costs rise, young adults are seeking lucrative career paths. Ed Ryland, CEO of ARVO Realty Advisors, is mentoring the next generation in commercial real estate—a challenging yet rewarding field. Learn how his program offers internships, jobs, and mentorship to help you succeed.
A new housing report from Harvard University found that would-be homebuyers need to make more money than ever if they want to buy a home in Texas’ urban areas.
The Democrats’ recently approved platform includes calls to loosen zoning rules, which housing experts believe contribute to high housing costs.
Housing advocates say Texas laws fall short when it comes to property trespassers but they warn changes could worsen the state’s evictions crisis.
Texas is the only Gulf State that doesn’t license roofers. Anybody can call themselves a roofer. That’s why you have to protect yourself. Investigator Amy Davis has a list of what you should ask before hiring a roofing contractor.
The new fines underscore the challenges college students face when looking for affordable housing — and how cities struggle to provide it.
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham met with Houston City Council Tuesday to address the hundreds of people who are owed relocation assistance.
The program would give roughly 1,900 households payments of $500 for 18 months with no strings attached. Paxton called it “plainly unconstitutional.”
Republican lawmakers may try to force Texas cities to allow greater housing density as the state faces a housing crunch.
Most cities require homes and businesses to have parking. Critics say they drive up housing costs, foster car dependency and raise carbon emissions.
So-called institutional homebuyers noticeably ramped up home purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. But housing experts point out investors have retreated amid high interest rates.
Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett introduced House Bill 7412 to fix administrative issues that have created hurdles for some in rural communities.
Legal aid groups and housing advocates say there simply aren’t enough lawyers to keep up with the sheer volume of eviction filings.
Homelessness rose last year across nearly every demographic group, but strides were made to connect people with new housing.
Both the state and the city of Houston say they want to work together to help pay down the remaining funds.
Providing safe and affordable housing for those who need it here in Houston was the subject of several votes the Houston Housing Authority Board took up Tuesday evening.
City officials hope that allowing up to three units per lot will increase supply and slow the explosive increase in housing costs. The measure was approved by Austin City Council in a 9-2 vote late Thursday night.
A new Harvard University study found an increase in the number of Texas households headed by people 65 or older spending more than 30% of their income on housing. Advocates say keeping older adults housed will require substantial public investment and reforms.
In what locals call Dickinson, but what is actually an area of Galveston County under Texas City jurisdiction, dozens of families are being forced out of their homes.
In cities dominated by single-family neighborhoods, local leaders across Texas want a broader variety of housing to combat the affordability crisis.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee outlines her priorities for the city as she runs for Houston mayor.
Using robotic 3D printers that can build the concrete walls of a house, a pair of Texas startups say the technology could help alleviate two crises: the housing shortage and climate change.
GOP leaders claim the development markets to undocumented people and is plagued by crime. One of its owners refutes the allegations and says he’s ready to show lawmakers that Colony Ridge isn’t different than any other rural Texas community.
The city’s decades-long battle to overhaul local rules to allow more, denser housing to be built may be reaching a turning point.
Legislation passed this month would raise the state’s homestead exemption to $100,000, lower schools’ tax rates and put an appraisal cap on residential and commercial properties, among other measures. But voters must approve a constitutional amendment first.
LeShawn Fondren moved to Houston almost a year ago to be close to her fiancé and his family. Since the move, she’s been renting a place and it hasn’t been easy.
House Democrats attempted to insert benefits for renters and more money for public education into the tax-cuts package in a series of floor amendments but were unsuccessful.
The deal would channel $12 billion to reduce the school property tax rate for homeowners and business properties, increase the homestead exemption, and create a pilot program to reduce taxes on certain residential and commercial properties. The legislation is expected to pass later this week.
State lawmakers passed the law after a North Texas homeowners’ association barred landlords from renting to Section 8 tenants. Most of the affected tenants in that neighborhood were Black.
Texas’ top Republicans are fighting over how to split property tax cuts between businesses and homeowners. Democrats want renters to see relief, too.
For many years, the Midtown Redevelopment Authority has created new opportunities for affordable housing in Houston’s Greater Third Ward community.
For just about every homeowner in Texas, it is a huge, aggravating, infuriating problem.We’re talking about your property taxes, which just keep soaring higher and higher.
Phelan announced the formation of a House committee that could set the tone in favor of vouchers ahead of an expected special session on education. The move comes weeks after Abbott sided with Phelan on a plan to lower property taxes.
Houston has seen eviction rates soar since pandemic protections for renters lapsed. At one apartment complex, ejecting people from their homes is a ritual part of the business model.
After negotiations that became tense and public, the House and Senate fell short of delivering on one of the biggest legislative priorities for Republicans in the regular legislative session.
Democrats played a major role in killing legislation aimed at boosting Texas’ flagging housing supply — to the frustration of housing advocates.
House lawmakers added a significant boost to the Senate’s proposed homestead exemption and tacked on a contentious idea to lower the state’s appraisal cap.
Both the House and the Senate’s proposals on property tax cuts would give modest savings to the typical Texas homeowner, but critics say the House plan could create vast inequities and disproportionately benefit wealthy homeowners.
Demand for on-campus housing has gone up across the country as off-campus costs have skyrocketed and students seek more affordable options.
The Senate wants to raise the homestead exemption. The House wants to tighten the appraisal cap. Both chambers’ leaders are skeptical of each other’s proposal.
Housing advocates, builders and real estate experts agree that the state simply isn’t building enough homes to keep up with its booming population and economic growth.
Cuts to school property tax bills. Bigger tax benefits for homeowners. A controversial idea to limit property tax growth. Here’s what you need to know about the brewing property tax debate at the Texas Legislature.
The Texas Rent Relief Program announced Wednesday that it will be closing its application portal early due to the overwhelming amount of submissions which flooded in just 24 hours after reopening.
Lawmakers will decide whether to keep protections that shielded tenants from eviction — or to ban them.
Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan’s proposal reveals the different roads the Texas House and Senate want to take on property taxes — and the fight that might emerge between the two chambers this session.
Applications for the Texas Rent Relief Program are slated to reopen later this month, for a limited time.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker face little opposition in their reelection bids. Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson doesn’t have any challengers.
Houston’s community land trust was once touted as an innovative way to address its housing crisis. But city leaders slashed its funding by half as bureaucracy bogged down the program and enthusiasm dwindled.
Houston’s largest homeless encampment has been decommissioned as the city looks to transition people living on the streets to permanent housing.
Republicans are wrestling over how much of the state’s nearly $33 billion budget surplus to spend on property taxes. Democrats have their own ideas about what to do with the cash.
Cities and nonprofits are using a variety of strategies to keep unhoused people warm. But some organizations warn they’re already at capacity as El Paso sends migrants across the state.
Watson, a former state senator who was Austin’s mayor from 1997 to 2001, pitched himself as a back-to-basics candidate who could ease the city’s growing affordability crisis.
The City of Galveston is accepting applications for mortgage assistance for those who need help making their payments.
Born of segregation and redlining, the near West Side has long been mostly Latino, mostly low-income. Redevelopment pressures are closing in, and neighbors are working to keep it affordable for some of the city’s poorest residents.
For some local relief programs, a lack of staffing, political support and effective community outreach got in the way of spending federal funds to prevent evictions, a new report found. More than $30 million went unspent and had to be returned.
Under Texas law, homeowners can claim a homestead exemption only on their primary residence. The GOP Senate candidate registered to vote in Georgia last year.
Amid rising housing costs and relentless inflation, an increasing number of Texans are struggling to pay their rent and stay in their homes.
Texas had more houses on the market in July than any time since late 2020 as home sales declined in the state’s major metros. Sellers have had to cut prices to entice buyers.
Four corporate landlords, including Dallas-based Invitation Homes, tried to evict thousands of tenants during a federal ban on evictions, according to an investigation by a congressional subcommittee.
Heat-related emergency calls have spiked amid historic heat. Cooling centers are available in major cities but often close in the late afternoon — during the hottest parts of the day.
Landlords in Texas don’t have to accept renters who receive federal housing assistance, but a Denton County community is taking it a big step further: making most of the town off limits to Section 8 tenants.
The Texas House of Representatives Committee on Urban Affairs held an interim charge hearing on the housing crisis in Texas, barriers to the development of more housing, and legislative solutions to lower the cost of housing for Texas families and businesses on Thursday morning.
Austin joins at least 28 U.S. cities, like Los Angeles, Chicago and Pittsburgh, that have tried out some form of “guaranteed income” — financial assistance targeted at needy households.
Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin all ranked among the top 10 cities for new eviction filings in early April, among the 31 cities tracked by Eviction Lab.
It’s unclear whether landlords face any penalties from state agencies for improperly evicting tenants while receiving rent relief dollars intended to help those tenants stay housed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The city of Houston, Harris County and a non-profit have been working amid the pandemic to reduce the number of people who are homeless and in emergency shelters.
