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SAN MARCOS CIVICS CLUB
In a town where 69.51% of people rent their homes or live in apartments, according to the Best Neighborhood website, renters’ rights are a top area of concern for local policymakers. The San Marcos Civics Club hosted a roundtable discussion in which these issues were explored in greater depth, particularly the ways in which they can be impacting local students.
Atom Von Arndt, former city council candidate and member of the San Marcos Main Street Board, watched a San Marcos City Council work session in which the “predatory” nature of purpose-built student housing was discussed.
“As you’re going through a lease [application] and you’re signing it, you’re literally signing a lease before you’re approved,” Von Arndt said. “You’re on the hook at the end of it whether they approve you to live there or not. So this is a small community with a lot of that happening, and it’s detrimental to the price of rent for everybody, especially the fact that we’re an impoverished community.”
San Marcos City Council Member Amanda Rodriguez gave her firsthand account of what was discussed at the council work session, agreeing that the tactics to get the apartments filled in rent-by-the-bed developments can be “predatory.” Rodriguez affirmed what Von Arndt said signing a lease before you're approved, saying "it could be an online process where you’re simply filling out some information. You hit next. You’re simply completing that portion of the document, and they take that as a signature [for a lease].” She also pointed to other issues that can arise.
“Whereas with conventional leases, you go through your background check, you go through your income verification and all of these other steps before you actually put your signature. Rent by the bed are backwards,” Rodriguez said, adding that the students are often not required to put a down payment or are told they will not be liable for roommates’ nonpayment. "Texas does have a Repair and Deduct clause in the Property Code that protects tenants when a landlord is neglecting maintenance. If a landlord fails to make repairs, tenants can: Send the landlord a written notice by certified mail, return receipt requested or by registered mail. If the landlord doesn't make repairs within a reasonable time, the tenant can send a second notice. If the landlord still doesn't make repairs, the tenant can terminate the lease, repair the problem and deduct the cost from their rent. The tenant can also get a court to order the repairs to be made. The understanding is renters in RBB tenants are not afforded these rights."
A participant asked if a city government could interfere with a private business, and Rodriguez used the city of San Antonio as an example of something the city of San Marcos might try to “emulate.”
“They created what was known as a Tenants Bill of Rights. Granted, a lot of people argue they could have gone further,” Rodriguez said. “They got [together] with tenant unions, various tenants, to see what are the issues in crafted, codified policies to protect tenants.”
Rodriguez added that with such a large percentage of renters in the San Marcos population, “it’s critical that we actually do something to codify protections” for those residents.
Learn more about the San Marcos Civics Club at this link facebook. com/groups/6903453732 04664.
