Housing information can be overwhelming, especially if you are under pressure to make a decision. Below you’ll find a few resources to help better inform your decision making.
Rental Contracts
Familiarizing yourself with a standard rental contract will help you navigate your leasing agreement. Here is an example rental contract.
Housing Rights
The Texas Fair Housing Act and the U.S. Fair Housing Act protect you from discriminatory housing practices in the sale, rental and financing of dwellings based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, physical or mental disability, or familial status (presence of a child under age 18 living with parents or legal custodians, person securing custody of children under 18, or a pregnant woman). You can further explore how to ensure your rights through the Texas Workforce Commission website in English or en Español.
Where in Austin should I live?
The University of Texas released a study in 2016 to help graduate students narrow their searches, and its analyses can help orient any new Austinite to neighborhoods and average rental costs. UT has also built a webpage full of resources for off-campus living, available at offcampus.utexas.edu.