Texas Stories | Housing Affairs Letter

Federal Court Blocks MERS Lawsuit

In another decision affecting county mortgage recording fees, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas rules that individual homeowners do not have standing to sue Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems over the fees.

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Houston Disaster Funding Use Slammed

HUD's Office of Inspector General (OIG) criticizes the city of Houston for using Community Development Block Grant disaster funding to build affordable housing in disaster areas instead of directly helping those in greatest need.

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Judge Rules Texas Housing Agency Bias

A federal court judge rules the Texas Department of Housing & Community Affairs unintentionally discriminated in its allocation of low-income housing tax credits and it must craft a plan to remedy the problem.

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(PROPERTY TAKING) Texas Eminent Domain Reform Bill Signed

Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) signs legislation (SB 18) ending a five-year eminent domain reform effort by lawmakers in his state. The legislation is seen by the Property Rights Alliance (PRA) as a rejection of the U.S.

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(PROPERTY TAKING) Property Taking Bill Nears Approval

One more House vote and negotiations with the Senate are the only obstacles left for an eminent domain restructuring is sent to Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) for signing. Property taking reform was one of Perry's emergency

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(PREMISES LIABILITY) Landlord Not Liable After Disabled Tenant Slips, Falls On Front Porch

Lesson: The landlord is not liable here because the "hazard" associated with the apartment's small front porch -- a 5-inch step was not a hidden defect and the landlord was not required to install handrails on the porch since the tenant did not request handrails as a reasonable accommodation.&n...

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(SECTION 8) Web Crash Loses Sec. 8 Applications

Dallas Housing Authority officials opened the agency's Sec. 8 housing voucher waiting list for the first time in five year to update its waiting list by 5,000 hopefuls. The authority expected as many as 20,000 applications. But

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(SECURITY DEPOSIT) Landlord's Retention of Tenants' Artwork, Deposit Costs Him $12K

Lesson: The landlord in this case wrongfully removed and retained the tenants' artwork and refused to return their security deposit. A jury said the landlord acted in bad faith and awarded his tenants more than $12,000 in damages and attorneys' fees. Security deposits must be accounted for and shoul...

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(PRIVILEGE TAX) Privilege Tax On Tap In Texas

If state Sen. Jerry Madden (R) has his way, thousands of Texas employees who live at discounted rates in state-provided housing would have to pay a monthly privilege fee to make up for lost school taxes.

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(EVICTION) Tenants' Loss Increases Their Damages Over Fivefold

The landlords won the same case against their tenants three times and the courts increased their damages accordingly, as permitted by the terms of their lease.

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