Austin, TX Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

2 requires heating facilities capable of maintaining 68F (20C) in habitable spaces, bathrooms, and toilet rooms of every dwelling unit, and specifically bars cooking appliances and unvented fuel-burning space heaters from being used to meet that requirement; a portable electric space heater is allowed only "on a temporary basis" and only per the manufacturer's specifications. 3 extends the 68F floor to occupied commercial structures containing dwelling or sleeping units. 7(A) requires owners to provide and maintain refrigerated air conditioning capable of keeping each habitable room at least 15 degrees cooler than the outside temperature, but never above 85F, and to keep the AC system, covers, panels, conduits, and disconnects properly attached and operating.

7(B) fixes how that temperature is measured: three feet above the floor near the center of the room and two feet inward from the center of each exterior wall. 7(C) gives owners a narrow defense: if the outside temperature exceeds 110F, a habitable room registering 85F is not a violation. 3 require the owner to submit a repair action plan and provide the displaced occupants with approved alternate accommodations within two days of notice. These duties sit inside the broader Property Maintenance Code framework enforced by the Building and Standards Commission (City Code Ch. 25-12, Art. 9), which is separate from the registration duties imposed on Austin rental owners under City Code Chapter 4-14.