The Austin City Council moved on Nov. 6 to strengthen tenant protections and compliance for developments financed with city rental housing assistance.

Councilmembers said the action — advanced through a pair of resolutions — aims to ensure that tenants at city‑funded properties benefit from enforceable lease addenda, clear screening standards and an active compliance program inside the Housing Department. Councilmember Mike Siegel, who spoke in favor of the item, said the lease addendum is the primary tool the city uses to protect tenants in RHDA projects: “The key here is the lease addendum,” he said, noting the resolutions authorize staff to build a program to test and enforce compliance.

Tenant advocates told the council those protections have often existed only on paper and are not enforced. Shoshana Krieger, project director of BASTA (Building and Strengthening Tenant Action), said, “Protections are only as good as the enforcement of the protections, that if the protections are only on paper, they are meaningless.” Several speakers who had experienced or represented tenants described improper denials and lack of notice when RHDA applicants were turned away.

Councilmembers said the work will be stakeholder‑driven and include testing mechanisms such as “secret shopper” reviews to confirm borrowers provide the required lease addenda, notices of denial and appeals information. The resolution also directs staff to consider applicant protections for people with criminal records and to look at incentives and scoring points for contracts and leases that adopt stronger tenant‑friendly terms.

The resolutions were co‑sponsored by multiple council offices and formed part of a consent block that the council adopted. Staff and council members emphasized the change was intended to produce enforceable compliance rather than merely updating guidance: it will create a compliance program in the housing department and explore remedies such as recapture or loss of forgiveness for loans if required protections are not provided.

Ending note: Council directed staff to return with proposed program details and an implementation timeline, and advocates said they will participate in the stakeholder process to monitor enforcement.