RENT

Rents continue to rise, but wages for many aren't keeping pace.

Whether letting or living in their homes, mortgages are pushing up the cost for many people.

The real estate market in San Antonio is starting to cool down after nearly two years of surging sales and increases in price but renters have faced large increases in some areas as well.

A study by home-amenity company Porch ranked the San Antonio-New Braunfels area as the 12th most budget-friendly area for college students looking to rent an apartment.

In California, a new report shows the most expensive cities for renters aren't in Los Angeles or San Francisco.

Shopping for the new school year is underway.

At $1,209 per month, San Antonio’s average rental price is 12% more expensive than it was at the end of Q2 last year, according to the report.

As tourism continues a strong rebound in San Antonio and the city’s population growth stays on an upwards trajectory, all that foot traffic is showing hefty returns for San Antonio’s retail market.

After two years of delays due to the pandemic, the Broadway show "RENT" is heading back to San Antonio. A cast member tells KSAT current events in 2022 show how the musical has stood the test of time.

In his filmmaking debut, Lin-Manuel Miranda turns a small-scale musical by the creator of Rent into an inventive piece of cinematic biography.

Some tenants face big demands from landlords for upfront rent and there is no legal limit.

SAN ANTONIO – A program to help residents who are struggling because of the pandemic pay their rent and other bills still has tens of millions of dollars to dole out. The Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP) has received a total of $133.6 million in chunks over the past year from various funding sources. That’s before any additional rent assistance money from a stimulus bill passed by Congress is added to the mix. Bexar County residents appear only to be eligible for rental assistance, while city residents can also get help with water, power and internet service. However, they won’t be able to get assistance for the same period of time for which they already got help.

"Rent" original cast members reflect on groundbreaking musical, celebrate its 25th anniversary In 1996, "Rent" changed the sound and face of the modern musical with its rock music, diverse cast and edgy subject. The show won four Tony Awards including Best Musical, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for drama. Vladimir Duthiers visited the East Village theater where it all began and spoke with original cast members Idina Menzel and Wilson Jermaine Heredia about why the show still resonates.

One of the most high-profile uses of that money, and other funding sources, is the city’s Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP), which helps struggling residents pay their rent, mortgage and other bills. As of Wednesday, $64.8 million had been approved through the program, and city staff members have plans to keep it funded into March. In a briefing to city council members on Thursday, staff members said the city will receive $3.6 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from the state as part of the Texas Emergency Rental Assistance Program. The city has also been notified it will get an additional $10.2 million in CDBG dollars through the CARES Act. City staff members recommend using $4.6 million for EHAP, which Assistant City Manager Lori Houston said could take the program into “most likely early March.”A full recommendation is expected in January to the Culture and Neighborhood Services Committee.

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio nonprofit is stepping up to help people who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic as federal eviction protections come to an end. San Antonio student starts nonprofit to provide clear face masks for deaf, hard of hearing individualsBaker said the nonprofit is helping people who didn’t need assistance in the past. Johnny Herrera said he lost his job in 2019, and he ended up at Haven for Hope. He said the nonprofit helped him find a job, but he lost the job due to the pandemic. Herrera said the nonprofit is helping him find a new job and providing rent assistance.

SAN ANTONIO The Pearl neighborhood is the most expensive area in San Antonio to rent an apartment while Lackland Terrace on the West Side is among the most affordable, according to new data released Tuesday by Apartments.com. The average rent for apartments in the Pearl neighborhood listed at $2,283 while apartments in the Lackland Terrace neighborhood listed at nearly four times less at $617, the apartment listing site said. The top 10 least affordable neighborhoods included three in downtown San Antonio (Museum Reach at $1,774, King William at $1,543 and Lone Star at $1,495), two in midtown (Pearl at $2,283 and Brackenridge Park at $1,409) and two in the Northwest Side (The Rim at $1,596 and The Dominion at $1,545). Among the top 10 most affordable neighborhoods included four on the West Side (Lackland Terrace at $617, Maverick at $751, Thunderbird Hills at $752 and Hillcrest at $756.) Following is a table of the 10 most expensive neighborhoods in San Antonio.

Legal aid attorneys prepare for increase in caseload when eviction hearings begin in JunePublished: May 22, 2020, 9:18 pmWith eviction hearings starting in Bexar County in June, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid attorneys have been preparing by setting up referral sources with community partners.

SA renters pressured by management, told to vacate during COVID-19 pandemicPublished: May 19, 2020, 5:22 pmA growing number of San Antonio residents are fending off landlords or apartment managers while trying to also qualify for assistance and find new employment.

City Council rejects 60-day grace period before eviction proceedingsPublished: May 14, 2020, 5:18 pmOrdinance would have allowed tenants time to catch up on what they owe

SAN ANTONIO – Bexar County residents can apply for temporary rental assistance through Bexar County’s Temporary Rental Assistance Measure starting Friday, May 1 at 10 a.m. The program is managed by the Housing Authority of Bexar County. Those who meet the criteria can get 1-3 months of rental assistance, as long as you’re a resident of unincorporated Bexar County and 26 suburban cities outside of San Antonio. Applicants also have to submit the following documents:Proof of current income and evidence of income loss due to COVID-19. Note: this can be in the form of an employer verification of job loss, unemployment claim, current pay stubs, etc.

Now we know just how difficult: Nearly a third of American renters didn't pay their rent this month. Of more than 13 million units in the US that the report covered, 69% of renters paid their rent between April 1 and 5. During the same period in April 2019, 82% of households paid their rent on time, the report said. And just last month, 81% of renters paid rent by March 5. Nearly 70% of his renters took advantage of the discount, saving them nearly $400,000 in rent altogether.

SAN ANTONIO – The emergency rental assistance program is a combined effort by the San Antonio Apartment Association, the city of San Antonio and philanthropic organizations. To be eligible, tenants must be unemployed and impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, said Marc Ross, the association’s past president. He said SAAA’s 1,500 members are being encouraged to forgive 25 percent of any past due rent, April’s rent and any late fees. To qualify for assistance for Risk Mitigation Fund requires written proof the tenant’s situation. Emergency Rental Assistance information can be found here.

New rental assistance initiative to help those impacted by the coronavirusPublished: April 2, 2020, 6:25 pmNew rental assistance initiative to help those impacted by the coronavirus

Guide to unemployment benefits for Texans laid off during coronavirus pandemicWhile many businesses are giving free food and products to health care workers, KSAT started looking into what services and benefits are available for hospitality industry workers. Here’s what we found:HospitALLity House is providing free meals for hospitality workers, including those in the restaurant industry who are facing financial hardship. Smokey Mo’s BBQ is offering 40 meals per store at the San Antonio, Boerne, Spring Branch and New Braunfels locations for hospitality industry workers. The Winechester in Alamo Heights is offering a free meal and a produce bag to hospitality workers every week on Tuesday. How Texas renters can get answers to housing, payment questions amid coronavirus pandemicCOVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, stands for coronavirus disease 2019.

SAN ANTONIO – The right to counsel program aims to protect renters who have fallen behind on rent and are fighting eviction. For those who can’t afford their rent, it’s impossible to pay for legal services that would help them battle eviction. We’ve worked with different attorneys to understand the opportunities that there may be, different organizations can help provide or assist with regards to this program,” Trevino said. Trevino’s office reports that New York City saw significant changes from 2017 to 2018. To implement the program, the Neighborhood and Housing Services Department will partner with Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, a nonprofit law firm.

Free-range chickens for rent Tired of those boring supermarket eggs in polystyrene cartons? Now you can enjoy fresh, delicious organic eggs from free-range chickens as local as your own backyard. Bill Geist meets the owners of the Rent-a-Coop chicken business in Potomac, Md.