Filings for eviction hearings in Houston increased compared to 2019

HOUSTON - Rent is due again this Friday, May 1. Since the Texas Supreme Court extended the stay on eviction hearings through May 18 this week, Harris County Judge Hidalgo and Houston Mayor Turner are now asking the Court to extend it August 24. They want the pause to match the freeze on eviction hearings on federally funded mortgages and rent.

Lone Star Legal Aid says landlords in the Houston area have filed for 4,476 eviction hearings since March 23. They say that's seven times the amount filed during the same period last year.

Standoffs between landlords and tenants behind on rent are getting intense.

"Notably, landlords cutting off electricity to try to force tenants out and locking them out," said attorney Nick Whittaker with Lone Star Legal Aid.

Locking a tenant out is illegal without a court hearing.

Whitaker says tenants can go to the Justice of the Peace to let them back in or turn the lights back on.

https://www.fox26houston.com/news/filings-for-eviction-hearings-in-houston-increased-compared-to-2019?

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