Austin Property Management Blog

Imagine coming home to your apartment and finding that your refrigerator has suddenly stopped working. You’re worried that your food will spoil if this issue isn't fixed immediately, so you contact your landlord for help. But before you do, you wonder who is responsible for repairing a broken refrigerator? Is it you? If not, how long can a landlord leave you without a refrigerator?  

To help you navigate such situations, we’ll provide you with a comprehensive review of Texas property and housing laws on household appliance repairs. On top of that, we’ll also cover what you can do when faced with certain challenges regarding appliance repairs. Continue reading to find out more.  

Key Takeaways 

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  • Townhouses are a good real estate investment given their high potential for tenancy and higher property valuation over time. 

  • Stone Oak Client Update | June 2025

    Grant Williams - Friday, May 30, 2025

    

    
    

    Eviction Bill in Texas Legislature

    A bill that speeds up the eviction process was recently passed in the Texas House. The goal of the bill is to help remove squatters quickly and will certainly have other impacts that will be determined if it becomes law. The original Senate Bill 38 was approved in the Texas House with changes, so it must go back to the Senate for approval before it goes to the Governer's desk.

    
    

    Austin Air Conditioning Requirement

    The Austin City Council adopted changes to the property maintenance code that requires all homes within the city to have functioning air conditioning effective on July 10, 2025. While the portion of Austin homes without A/C is very small, it is an issue that the city council felt they needed to address after several years of extreme temperature streaks over the summer.

    The system does not have to be central A/C. It requires any habitable rooms to be capable of being cooled to at least 15 degrees lower than the outside temperature. Rooms are considered habitable when they are used to relax, sleep, eat or cook, so it doesn’t include garages and attics for example.

    There are already state and local laws in place that require landlords to fix a...

REAL ID

The REAL ID Act that was passed by Congress in 2005 is finally being fully enforced as of May 7, 2025.  This law created a federal baseline for security features in licenses and other IDs and prohibits federal agencies from accepting IDs that are not compliant.  Most people will be impacted by this law if they travel, so we wanted to mention it in case you have summer break travel plans and have to make it through a TSA checkpoint.  Here is the link to the REAL ID FAQ page for additional info. 

Spring Storms

Looking to rent soon? Aside from finding the ideal property, landlords put tenants through a screening process that can be challenging to qualify for. But don’t fret. There are ways for you to boost your chances of securing your dream rental property. To help you with this, here are 5 valuable rental application tips for tenants. We’ll cover everything you need to know – from essential application documents to strategies to make you stand out among the rest!

Tip 1: Gather All Documents Ahead of Time

Landlords ask applicants for several documents to verify their identity and qualifications. As a company that provides property management in Austin, we use a standard set of screening criteria that aligns with fair housing laws, disclosure, and other applicable federal, state, and local regulations. For landlords renting without property management representation, they may use the common TXR Lease Application or develop a lease and screening process with the help of a qualified attorney or real estate professional. But as a tenant, you should always ask for the screening requirements upfront. This ensures you have everything you need right from the start.

Here’s a review of the most common tena...

Planning to buy a house? One of the enduring questions about home ownership is whether to go for the rent-to-own or the mortgage option. The ongoing discourse on rent-to-own vs mortgage is primarily because both options have their fair share of advantages and disadvantages. The challenge is knowing which one best fits your situation.

To help you on this journey, we’ll provide you with a comprehensive overview of rent-to-own agreements and mortgages. We’ll highlight key features, pros and cons, and the primary differences between the two to help you decide which home ownership route to opt for.

3 Key Takeaways

• Rent-to-own agreements offer a gradual path towards homeownership without the huge financial pressure upfront.
• Home buyers can enjoy immediate ownership and its benefits when purchasing with a mortgage.
• The choice between RTO and mortgage depends on your long-term goals and financial situation.

What is a Rent-to-Own Agreement?

Rent-to-own is an alternative option to achieve home ownership. Here, the tenant enters an agreement with the homeowner for a rent-to-own contract. They pay rent to stay in the property, but with a portion of that payment going towards the goal of purchasing it at the end of the lease. So, how does this work?

Let’s say that you find a house that you really love, but you don’t have the ...

For many, pets are more than just animals we have and own. Nowadays, people consider them a significant part of their lives, to a point that they call them family. With the rapid growth of pet ownership in the US, landlords need to address rental property pet policies to both attract tenants and protect their investment.   

But what does it exactly mean to be pet friendly? And how can landlords and property owners still protect themselves under these conditions? To help you create the “ideal” rental property for pet owners, we’ll provide you with a comprehensive review of common rental property pet policies. More than that, we’ll highlight the advantages and disadvantages of these policies and why they are important for both landlords and tenants.

3 Key Takeaways

• Rental pet policies help establish clear rules and guidelines for responsible pet ownership. It also sets the expectations between parties for transparency and accountability.
• Pet-...

In today’s fast-paced world, technology plays a key role in making processes and operations more efficient. In property management, this means better ways to attend to tenant concerns, process documentation, enhance stakeholder experiences, and more. But with the way prop tech has developed over the years, it is important for landlords and property managers to stay up to date, for both innovations and trends.

To help you with this, here is a rundown of the top 5 property management technology trends to watch out for in 2025. From artificial intelligence to energy-saving tech, learn how you can take advantage of these innovations and take your rental property business further. On top of that, we’ll also offer some helpful tips on how property managers and landlords can build stronger tenant relationships in today’s digital age.

3 Key Takeaways

• Property management tools, ranging from cloud-based software to virtual reality, help landlords and property managers streamline business operations.
• It is important to stay up to date and embrace property management technology innovations to stay competitive and attract modern tenants.
• Communication and transparency are key to building strong relationships between tenants and landlords.

5 Ways Property Management Technology is Changing the Industry 

As a property ma...