Editor’s Note: The above video details the Austin City Council’s tenant rights vote in 2022.
SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) – The San Marcos City Council approved an ordinance that codifies renters’ right to organize and creates a penalty for property owners who stand in their way.
City council members unanimously approved the item on Tuesday night, which mirrors a measure the Austin City Council passed in 2022.
“This is really common sense and important for a community like San Marcos that has about 71% of its total population as renters,” said Maxfield Baker, a former San Marcos City council member and community advocate.
“Hopefully, this is the first step [to empower] tenants to actually create tenant associations, which is something that we saw happen when [Austin] passed their ordinance,” Baker continued.
If a tenant in an apartment building faces an issue that could affect their health or safety, they can knock on neighbors’ doors or leave fliers to address the problem. If the landlord retaliates, they could face a penalty, Baker explained.
“From there, ideally, when you get the kind of critical mass of other tenants there, the landlord will have no choice but to address the issues,” he continued.
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