Texas Property Code Section 92.331 prohibits landlord retaliation, and Austin City Code Chapter 5-2 forbids housing discrimination on protected-class grounds. Austin has no comprehensive Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance like Los Angeles or Seattle.
Texas Property Code Section 92.331 makes it unlawful to retaliate within six months of a tenant's good-faith complaint to a government agency, exercise of a legal right, or participation in a tenant organization. Section 92.333 remedies include one month's rent plus $500, actual damages, attorney fees, and court costs. Austin City Code Chapter 5-2, the city's fair housing ordinance, prohibits harassment based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, familial status, age, marital status, student status, or creed, broader than federal law. The Austin Office of Civil Rights investigates Chapter 5-2 complaints. Beyond retaliation and protected-class harassment, no general anti-harassment ordinance covers buyout offers, repeated entry, or coercion.
Retaliation within six months of protected activity triggers Section 92.333 damages of one month rent plus $500. Austin Code Chapter 5-2 violations carry administrative fines up to $2,000. Illegal lockouts under Section 92.0081 add $1,000 plus rent.
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See how Austin's tenant anti-harassment rules stack up against other locations.
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