San Angelo Seminar Seeks to Curb Tenant Disputes

Tenants in the West Texas city of San Angelo are encountering a new problem as the economy climbs its way out of recession: a rise in evictions. Tenant disputes with landlords over rising rents, higher late fees and increased demand for housing have prompted the local constable’s office to hold a seminar discussing the rights of tenants and the responsibilities of landlords. Other local interest groups, including West Texas Legal Aid, the San Angelo Board of Realtors and the Apartment Association have joined forces to educate participants about their rights in tenant disputes.

Constable Hosts Seminar on Tenant Disputes

Precinct 4 Constable Randy Harris will conduct the seminar on Saturday, March 29, from 12 noon to 1 pm at the Stephens Central Library’s third-floor conference room. Attendees can bring a sack lunch and make the best of this chance to improve their knowledge of how to handle tenant disputes. The seminar’s roundtable format will enable both tenants and landlords to ask educated questions and receive solid advice from legal experts and advocacy groups.

Housing Crunch Causes Rise in Tenant Disputes

A recent oil boom in the region has led to a housing crunch, with oil workers migrating to the area and looking for any available housing. With the increase in demand and rising rents, many longtime residents are facing eviction notices and landlords are dealing with tenant disputes for the first time in several years. Constable Harris told a local reporter that his counterparts in nearby Midland are also reporting a rise in evictions.

“With the housing situation we have now,” Harris said, “constables have to move people out more often, because they can’t find new housing quickly enough when they are ordered to move.”

Landlords Take Extreme Action During Tenant Disputes

Some landlords have gone to extreme measures when faced with rising tenant disputes. Many of their tactics, including locking out tenants and cutting utility connections, are also illegal. Constables are called on to force the landlords to readmit the tenants, forcing both parties into an untenable situation.

According to Constable Harris, many of the landlords taking these measures are not educated on the law regarding tenant disputes. “(The landlords) never had to evict anyone before, and they don’t know how to go through the (legal) motions.”

Tenant Disputes and the Texas Property Code

Constable Harris also said that he hopes that the seminar will educated both tenants and landlords on the proper handling of tenant disputers outlined in the Texas Property Code. He mentioned that landlords who fail to follow these procedures can face charges of felonious criminal mischief. Lexie Wiley, a staffer with the local Legal Aid office and co-organizer of the seminar, also voiced her hope that the meeting can simplify many of the complicated procedures of the Texas property code for attendees on both sides of the disputes.

Source: San Angelo Live

Know Your Rights in Tenant Disputes

To find out how we can help with resolving landlord and tenant disputes, contact us today at 1-888-252-4668 and our intake team will quickly connect you to an experienced attorney, or fill out the “Free Case Review” form at the top of this page.