Austin Extends Eviction Moratorium Until April 21, 2021

AUSTIN, TX — The City of Austin has extended eviction protections amid the coronavirus pandemic until late April, officials confirmed.

Mayor Steve Adler said the move helps mitigate the spread of coronavirus while aiding residents who have suffered financially amid the pandemic. He and Travis County Judge Andy Brown signed dual orders preventing evictions until April 21.

"Today, Judge Brown and I join President [Joe] Biden’s commitment to prevent evictions nationally, in the interest of public health," Adler said. "We are extending our local eviction protections until April 1, 2021. We will continue to find ways, such as rental relief funding, to keep Austinites safe in their homes and ease the financial burden on landlords. We call on the state and federal governments to help us make additional relief available so that we can continue to save lives and protect our local economy.”

In extending the moratorium, officials cited recent research showing that evictions have been associated with hundreds of thousands of additional COVID-19 cases in cities without protections. Morevover, officials added, data from the Princeton University Eviction Lab show U.S. cities with additional protections for renters have experienced far fewer evictions filed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Austin leads other major Texas cities in terms of the lowest pandemic related evictions, local officials noted, and has some of the fewest filings in the nation.

Officials also pointed out that the capital city continues to lead TExas in lowest eviction filings since the last Austin/Travis County eviction protection:

Officials also noted research from U.S. News & World Report that shows protections such as those implemented in Austin/Travis County save lives. The upshot: Travis County has the lowest death rate of counties with big cities in Texas: