Austin Tenants’ Council

The Austin Tenants’ Council protects tenants’ rights and educates the community on fair housing. Our vision is to make Texas communities open to all without discrimination and free of landlord-tenant disputes.

Austin Tenants' Council (ATC) programs address many areas of need: housing discrimination, landlord/tenant education and information, and housing repair and rehabilitation. FAIR HOUSING PROGRAM -- This program helps any person in the Austin area who has been discriminated against in housing. The FHP investigates complaints and coordinates legal services to assist victims of discrimination when their rights under state and federal fair housing laws have been violated.

Fair housing testing provides an objective means to determine whether prospective renters or buyers are treated differently in violation of the Fair Housing Act. Testers are matched with individuals based on income, credit history, and other factors relevant to the home buying or leasing process. Testers are provided a role from the Test Coordinator, which corresponds the need at that time.

The seven protected classes identified under the Fair Housing Act are race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual harassment), religion, disability, and familial status.

Volunteers are needed who can objectively gather and report information about the availability of housing while posing as a prospective renter or homebuyer. Testers receive free training and a stipend for completed tests along with reimbursement for actual costs such as mileage.

This is a great opportunity for persons seeking service hours or those who want to give back to the communiity.

If you are interested in becoming a tester or if you have friends or family members who you think would like to become fair housing shoppers, please contact me. Giovanni Zamora at 512-474-7007 ext. 104 or Giovanni@housing-rights.org

Help us end Discrimination in Housing!