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FOR JOINING US FOR FOX SEVEN AUSTIN NEWS AT NINE I'M ALEC NOLAN. THE MEDIAN RENT IN AUSTIN IS GETTING CHEAPER, BUT THE NUMBER OF EVICTIONS IS ACTUALLY GOING UP. FOX SEVEN AUSTIN'S BRIANNA CARROLL SPOKE WITH EXPERTS TO FIND OUT WHAT AND WHY IT'S HAPPENING. DATA FROM ZILLOW SHOWS THE AVERAGE RENT FOR A ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT HERE IN AUSTIN IS CURRENTLY COMING IN AT $1,300 A MONTH. THAT'S DOWN 3.8% FROM LAST YEAR. BUT IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THAT LIVING IN THE CITY IS GETTING ANY CHEAPER FOR RENTERS. WE'VE SEEN AN INCREASE IN JUNK FEES AND MANDATORY FEES THAT TENANTS ARE PAYING, AND THEY'RE BEING DISAGGREGATED FROM THE RENTAL AMOUNT. FEES FOR THINGS LIKE PEST CONTROL, VALET TRASH AND AMENITIES ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THE BASE PRICE, SO THEY'RE NOT CALCULATED IN MEDIAN RENTAL DATA FOR THE CITY, BUT THEY COULD RAISE THE MONTHLY BILL RENTERS RECEIVE BY HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS. THAT'S A CHALLENGE FOR MANY OF THE CITY'S RENTERS, MORE THAN HALF OF WHICH ARE COST BURDENED, MEANING THEY'RE SPENDING MORE THAN 30% OF THEIR INCOME ON HOUSING. AND, KRIEGER SAYS DECREASES IN THE AVERAGE MARKET RENT ARE TYPICALLY NOT FELT BY THE CITY'S NEEDIEST RENTERS. AS RENTS HAVE GONE DOWN, WE HAVE SEEN LESS OF AN IMPACT ON AFFORDABILITY IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING BECAUSE A LOT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING TIES, RENT LIMITS TO THE AREA. MEDIAN INCOME IN FISCAL YEAR 2025, THE MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME IN THE AUSTIN METROPOLITAN AREA WAS $133,800, ACCORDING TO DATA FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT. THAT'S UP NEARLY 40% SINCE 2019, DRIVEN BY GROWTH IN THE AREA'S HIGH PAYING TECH SECTOR FOR TENANTS LIVING IN MANY OF THE CITY'S AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS, THE PRICE OF RENT CAN RISE AT A SIMILAR RATE WHEN OUR AREA MEDIAN INCOME SKYROCKETS. THAT MEANS WHAT A LANDLORD IS ALLOWED TO CHARGE FOR RENT SKYROCKETS, MEANING FOR SOME LOW INCOME RENTERS LIVING IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS ACTUALLY BECOMING LESS AFFORDABLE. FOLKS WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, JUGGLING MANY, MANY DIFFERENT THINGS, TRYING TO GET THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOL, TRYING TO GET THEMSELVES TO THEIR JOBS, TRYING TO BUY THEIR GROCERIES. ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THEY TALK ABOUT IS HOW AM I GOING TO AFFORD RENT NEXT MONTH? AS INFLATION PUSHES UP PRICES FOR ESSENTIALS LIKE GROCERIES, WHICH ARE UP 2.7% FROM LAST SEPTEMBER, WHILE THE AVAILABILITY OF RENTAL ASSISTANCE FALLS, EVICTIONS IN THE CITY ARE SURGING IN TRAVIS COUNTY, KRIEGER SAYS EVICTIONS ARE ON TRACK TO REACH THEIR HIGHEST LEVELS IN 2025, WITH 11,235 EVICTIONS FILED SO FAR THIS YEAR, COMPARED TO 9891 AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR. THERE ARE CURRENTLY MORE UNITS SITTING EMPTY IN AUSTIN RIGHT NOW, WITH THE CITY'S VACANCY RATE COMING IN AROUND 10%, WHICH TYPICALLY INDICATES A SOFTER MARKET. BUT EXPERTS SAY THERE IS A MISMATCH BETWEEN CURRENT SUPPLY AND THE TRULY AFFORDABLE UNITS THAT