Low-income apartments in Austin: how to find and apply

To find low-income apartments in Austin, enter your household's size and yearly income in the city's free Affordable Housing Online Search Tool. It shows the income-restricted buildings that fit you, with each one's phone and website. Each building keeps its own waitlist, the line you join for its next free apartment, so contact every building that fits.

Who runs affordable housing in Austin?

Three offices run lower-rent housing in Austin, and none of them keeps one list for the whole city:

The Austin Housing Authority is the housing authority (the local housing office) for the city. It keeps one waitlist for vouchers and 18 separate lists for its Pathways buildings, the apartment communities it runs. At a Pathways apartment, the government pays part of the rent, and the housing office works out your part from your monthly income, usually about 30% of it. If you move out, you lose that lower rent, and the next tenant of the apartment gets it.

How do the Austin waitlists and lotteries work?

The Austin Housing Authority and the Housing Authority of Travis County open their lists only now and then, and both pick applicants by lottery, a random drawing. The Austin Housing Authority says it makes a public announcement when a list reopens, and the people who apply then take part in the lottery. The Travis County office says it picks applicants at random, taking into account its rules and its preferences, the groups it puts first. Applying early in the window doesn't improve your chance.

To see which Texas lists are taking names today, check our Texas waitlists page. Join both Austin lists when they open: the federal housing department says long waits mean you may need to apply to several lists. Keep your email, phone number and address up to date with each office, because each one contacts you by email or mail when you are picked.

What are the 2026 income limits in Austin?

To get a Section 8 voucher in Austin, most households must earn at or under the very low income limit, $67,200 for four people in 2026. An income limit is the most a household can earn in a year, before taxes, and still qualify. Federal rules let a housing office admit some families up to the low limit under its own rules, so ask if your income is in between. HUD, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, sets these limits for the Austin area, and the city uses them from June 1, 2026:

The Austin Housing Authority's Pathways apartments take households at or under the low limit, $106,800 for four, and some apartments are set aside for lower incomes. Other buildings set each apartment's limit as a share of the area median income, the middle income in the area, so ask each building which limit applies.

Example. A household of three earning $62,000 a year is above the very low limit of $60,500, so it is unlikely to get a voucher. It should ask the housing office whether it admits families up to the low limit. It is under the low limit of $96,150, so it can apply for a Pathways apartment set at the low limit.

The extremely low limit is 60% of the very low limit, or the federal poverty guideline if that is higher. Each year, at least 75% of the families a housing office newly gives vouchers to must be at or under the extremely low limit. So if your income is above it, expect a longer wait for a voucher.

How do you find and apply for an Austin apartment?

1. Search the city's tool. Enter your household's yearly income and size. It lists income-restricted rentals from the Austin Housing Authority, the Housing Authority of Travis County, the city and the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.
2. Call or email each building that fits and ask whether its waitlist is open. The city can't promise an apartment in the tool is free.
3. Apply on the building's own form. For a Pathways apartment, you apply online through the Austin Housing Authority, listing everyone who will live with you and all your income.
4. Have your papers ready for when your name comes up. The Austin Housing Authority asks for photo ID for every adult, birth certificates and Social Security cards for everyone, and proof of all income and bank accounts. See what proof of income to bring.
5. Keep your contact details current with every building and office.

If you need help paying rent now, call the city's Rent and Utility line at 512-972-5780; the city says it has limited funds. For other help, call 2-1-1, a free helpline, or (877) 541-7905, any time of day.

What fees must an Austin landlord tell you about?

From October 1, 2026, an Austin landlord with 50 or more apartments must give you a written, itemized list of its fees before it quotes you a rent or takes your application. From January 1, 2027, the same rule covers landlords with 5 to 49 apartments. The city council passed this rule on May 28, 2026. A listing that shows a rent must also show the total with the required monthly fees. If a landlord doesn't follow the rule, you can complain to the city, and the landlord can be fined up to $500.

How do you avoid housing scams in Austin?

Housing offices never charge to put you on a waitlist. HUD's inspector general warns about social media posts that falsely announce an opening, so confirm any opening on the housing office's own website.

Can you buy a lower-priced home in Austin?

Yes. The city's down payment help is a loan of up to $40,000, not a grant, toward the down payment and closing costs. It is for buyers who haven't owned a home in the last three years and earn at or under 80% of the area median income. The home must be in Austin's city limits and cost $440,000 or less. You must take a homebuyer class and get a mortgage from one of the city's participating lenders. Before you count on it, ask Austin Housing: when do I repay the loan, and does it charge interest?

The Austin Community Land Trust, run by the city's housing finance corporation, sells homes where you own the house and the trust owns the land, which keeps the price lower. Start with its pre-certification form; you need photo ID, proof of household income and proof of household size.

What should you do next?

Search the city's tool and call the buildings that fit. Then check which Texas lists are open and see the Austin listings you can apply for now. Our qualify check shows which listings fit your household's size and income. Before you call, gather your documents.