To Grandmother's House

New $42M Austin project opens doors to affordable housing for seniors

The Ekos City Heights apartments are specifically designed for seniors and people who need extra support.

Photo courtesy of the City of Austin

A new apartment complex is now available for Austin residents searching for affordable housing.

The Ekos City Heights apartments on Nuckols Crossing Road are now open on the city's southeast side.

The $42 million project is specifically designed for seniors and those who need extra support.

More than half of the 179 new affordable units are reserved for households making less than half of Austin's median family income. The complex also includes special accommodations for residents with mobility challenges, and 10 units are set aside to help people transition out of homelessness.

Ekos City Heights Austin An example of a kitchen in a one-bedroom apartment at Ekos City Heights.Photo courtesy of the City of Austin

Mandy DeMayo, interim director for the Housing Department, said this project shows the city's commitment to helping seniors and vulnerable Austinites find stable housing.

“We are excited to celebrate the opening of yet another property that is not only an affordable housing residence but one which will also serve those 55 and older, individuals with impairments and those exiting homelessness,” said DeMayo.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

affordable housing apartments

Eviction Notice

Major landlords with Austin ties being investigated for illegal rent hikes

Photo courtesy of KVUE

Some of Austin's rent woes could be a result of this alleged scheme.

The Justice Department (DOJ) is suing six of the country's largest landlords, along with RealPage, alleging they took part in a pricing scheme that harmed renters.

We already know the increase in population and businesses moving to Austin raised rental prices. But lawyer and owner of Texas Tenant Law Jennifer MacGeorge said the new DOJ lawsuit could prove illegal rent hikes made it even worse.

"It's about collusion versus competition," MacGeorge said. "It's just about trying to gouge the market and get as much as they can."

The antitrust lawsuit claims six property management companies — Cushman & Wakefield, LivCor, Cortland, Greystar, Dallas-based Willow Bridge, and Houston-based Camden, which have numerous locations in the Austin area — are using software like RealPage. Together, the landlords control 1.3 million apartment units.

According to the lawsuit, the software uses an algorithm to help set rents and privately share sensitive, non-public information with competitors, allowing landlords to align their prices and avoid competition.

MacGeorge said the result is higher rents, for not only residential but commercial properties. She said this type of behavior exacerbates affordability issues and displaces residents and small businesses.

"We're getting rid of people that help the economy sustain itself and be stable, which is what everybody's looking for in this environment where you can't even afford your groceries, and now you're worried about your rent. It's absolutely unacceptable," MacGeorge said.

The lawsuit names the Austin-Round Rock metro area multiple times, saying 30 percent or more of the residential properties in the area are using this type of software.

While MacGeorge mainly represents tenants, she found out some of her landlord clients are using similar pricing strategies to artificially raise prices.

"They are engaging in other practices that are artificially raising prices, such as putting in a rental rate at a renewal that's maybe 20 percent above what the tenant was paying before and leaving it that high only until the tenant moves out and then immediately dropping it," MacGeorge said.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

rent lawsuit housing market apartments