Since October 1, an Austin landlord or property manager who runs 50 or more dwellings has to hand you a written, itemized list of every fee you will owe over the lease before you apply. Not at signing, and not with the first bill. The rule is City Code Article 4-14-140 and following, added by Ordinance No. 20260528-045, which Council passed on May 28.
Anyone who manages five to 49 dwellings, and anyone who runs mobile home or RV spaces, has until January 1, 2027. Here is what the ordinance says, in its own words where it matters, what we can and cannot say about the rental stock it reaches, and how to use the new list when you compare apartments.
What the ordinance requires
The text is three pages and short on exceptions. The parts a renter will notice:
- Timing. The provider must disclose the total fees "at the earlier of" two moments: when the provider or its agent first gives you information about the amount of rent, or before you submit an application (section 4-14-142).
- Form. The disclosure is in writing, itemizes the fees that will be assessed during the lease term, states the amount of mandatory and optional fees, and gives an estimate of the variable fees. It can be handed over on paper or delivered electronically.
- Three kinds of fee. A mandatory fee is the monthly rent plus any required one-time or recurring fixed fees. An optional fee is for something the provider offers but a tenant need not accept. A variable fee depends on use or factors the provider does not control, and the ordinance says that includes utility fees.
- Ads. When an advertisement mentions the cost to rent, it must state the rent and any recurring fixed fees that are mandatory (section 4-14-143).
- What is left out. Charges for tenant-caused damage, lease violations "or similar charges" are not covered.
- Penalty. A violation is a misdemeanor under the city's general penalty section, and the state of mind of the provider need not be proved. Community Impact reported fines of up to $500. A provider that uses the city's standard form and fills it out accurately is presumed to comply.
The city's Equity and Inclusion office, which administers the rule, publishes the standard disclosure form in English and Spanish and takes complaints online, by phone at 512-974-3251 and in person at 505 Barton Springs Road, Suite 515. Its page says the goal is compliance, not reimbursement: a tenant is not paid back for a fee that was not disclosed.
Why Council said it acted
The ordinance's findings (Exhibit A) are unusually specific. They list the fees renters can face beyond rent: amenity, maintenance, common area, pest control, parking, technology, smart home, trash, repair, administrative, air filter delivery, move-in, community, renters' insurance, payment processing and convenience fees. They note that providers "are not required to disclose additional mandatory one-time or recurring charges" and may wait until lease signing or the first bill. They cite a 2025 report referenced in the Federal Trade Commission's March 2026 advance notice of proposed rulemaking, which found that more than 70 percent of renters reported paying at least one mandatory fee besides rent, and city outreach between October and December 2025 that reached nearly 500 people. The findings also state that more than 55 percent of Austin households rent. Our own Census-based count for all of Travis County, covered in last Saturday's piece, is 47.9% for 2020-2024; the city and the county are different areas.
How much rental stock this reaches
The 50-dwelling threshold counts what one provider manages, not the size of a building, and we do not have a public count of providers by portfolio. So we cannot tell you how many Austin apartments sit under the October 1 date. What we can show is how fast large-building stock has been added in the city, because those are the buildings most likely to be run by a professional management company.
| Year | Units in 5+ unit buildings | Buildings |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 9,929 | 246 |
| 2020 | 13,336 | 270 |
| 2021 | 14,235 | 256 |
| 2022 | 14,798 | 319 |
| 2023 | 11,745 | 216 |
| 2024 | 7,346 | 175 |
| 2025 | 6,459 | 113 |
From 2018 through 2025 the city authorized 86,651 units in buildings of five or more. Authorizations peaked at 14,798 in 2022 and were 6,459 in 2025, down 56%. A permit is a permission to build, not a finished apartment, and the Census Bureau's counts can be revised, so the table describes the pipeline, not what is on the market today. It is context for how much large-building housing the city has added, not a count of the apartments the October 1 date covers. Zabalist, our sister site, tracks the underlying permits and site plans at the record level.
Reading the list when you get it
The point of the form is to put apartments on the same footing. Here is a worked example. Every number is invented for illustration and is not any building's price:
| Line | Kind of fee | Monthly | Running total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base rent | Mandatory | $1,500.00 | $1,500.00 |
| Trash, pest control, amenity package | Mandatory | $63.00 | $1,563.00 |
| Electric (Austin Energy typical estimate $120.73) and water (Austin Water typical estimate $107.67) | Variable | $228.40 | $1,791.40 |
| Pet fee and reserved parking | Optional | $85.00 | $1,876.40 |
Same unit, three totals: $1,563 if you decline every option and use no utilities, $1,791 with typical utilities, $1,876 with both extras. A second apartment advertised at $1,580 with trash and pest control included and a flat $20 amenity fee could land lower despite the higher sticker. The ordinance makes the first apartment's list available before you spend an application fee, and the city says its utility estimates are annual figures divided by 12, so your own use will differ. The one-time fees, which this monthly table leaves out, should be on the same list.
What this means if you're renting here
- Ask for the written list early. If you are looking at a building run by a large operator, request the itemized disclosure when you first ask about rent. The ordinance sets that as the trigger, not a late step.
- Compare totals, not sticker rents. Total the mandatory fees, add a realistic utility estimate, then decide which optional items you would actually take.
- Know the January 1 gap. A smaller landlord with fewer than 50 dwellings is not yet covered. Ask anyway, and keep what they send you in writing.
- Keep screenshots of ads. The ordinance requires ads that mention rent to include recurring mandatory fees, and a provider has a defense if a listing was displayed without its consent. If something looks wrong, the city's complaint form and phone line are linked above.
- Know the rest of the rulebook. This ordinance covers fee disclosure, not repairs, deposits or eviction. For a lease dispute or a legal deadline, talk with a licensed attorney or a tenant-rights organization; this is general information, not legal advice.
For how the federal rent benchmark compares, see our October 3 piece on HUD fair market rents.
Sources
- City of Austin Ordinance No. 20260528-045, passed May 28, 2026 (read in full, including Exhibit A findings).
- City of Austin Equity and Inclusion, Rental Fee Transparency Ordinance page (effective dates, standard form, utility estimates, complaint options).
- Community Impact, June 8, 2026 (fine of up to $500).
- CultureMap Austin, July 13, 2026 (October 1 and January 1 dates, cross-check).
- Austin Local Team analysis of U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey place-level annual records for the City of Austin, source date August 31, 2026, pulled into our research database September 30, 2026. Year-to-year changes and the 2018-2025 total are ours.
- Austin Local Team analysis of Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, as published in our October 10 article.
If you are comparing apartments, our apartment search and quiz is a place to start, and a local agent can read a fee list with you before you apply.