Pro Bono News

Responding to Harvey-Related Evictions, Lawyers Call for Changes to Texas Property Code

Monday, April 30, 2018

Responding to Harvey-Related Evictions, Lawyers Call for Changes to Texas Property Code

"To better protect tenants in times of disaster, lawyers are asking Texas lawmakers to change state property code to prevent the repetition of eviction problems that occurred after Hurricane Harvey.

Among proposals is a push for a 30-day pause on evictions during a disaster to give people enough time to get home and move out.

After many Houstonians fled their homes because of Harvey-related flooding, landlords abruptly ended thousands of leases, saying apartments were uninhabitable.
Many tenants were given five days to vacate their homes after their lease was terminated.
“Five days is just not enough,” said Nelson Mock, a lawyer with Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid.
“Some people didn’t even get these notices,” Mock said.
Because so many people were away from their homes to avoid flooding, they never received warning that their lease had ended and they had to leave..."

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