UT group advocates for students facing rental problems near campus

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Some University of Texas Austin students said they feel more vulnerable to being taken advantage of when it comes to renting in Austin.

This led a group to launch a new union to shed light on what was happening. KXAN's Jala Washington spoke with these students about their work so far.

UT students Isabell Webb Carrie and Numratha Thrikutam said they dealt with campus-area apartments not being ready for move-in at the start of their leases, which led them to take action and deal with the renting problems students face.

"I was sleeping on an air mattress in a friend's apartment," Thrikutam said.

The group started as an Instagram account a couple of years ago. Now, a formal collaboration launched in March, known as the UT Tenants Council.

"I realized that through my own vulnerability, how vulnerable students are as a demographic. We don't have the knowledge, we don't have the financial resources, or the experience to protect ourselves, really," Webb said.

One of the first issues the group tackled was windowless housing in West Campus marked down at lower rates to appeal to students, Thrikutam and Webb said. They had a letter signed by more than 800 people.

Back in September 2023, Austin City Council took action to start looking for ways to close a “loophole” that allowed developers to build apartment buildings without windows in the bedrooms.

"All of these voices that care about issues relating to housing advocacy can really be channeled into something more long-term and sustainable," Thrikutam said.

From advocating for better, safer accessibility in West Campus, to shedding light on the need for a university emergency rental fund, the students said they continue hosting round tables and collecting data to help with their work.

"We acknowledge that Austin is a growing city. It is expensive for everyone. But we just think that students need extra protection," Carrie said.