# Austin Housing Waiting Lists: Where and How to Apply > Check Austin Housing Authority and HATC lists, find tax credit properties on AHOST, and confirm the unit and fees before you apply or tour in Austin. URL: https://incomerestrictedapartments.com/guide/austin-affordable-housing-waitlists-open/ Phone: +1 (888) 411-4403 Plain answers backed by official sources # Austin housing waiting lists and where to apply Check the Austin Housing Authority (formerly HACA), HATC and each property’s own list separately. Then confirm the actual unit before you pay a fee or tour. [How we check our information](/editorial-standards/). Before you apply, confirm application status and unit details with the property or agency. ## Austin has three kinds of lists, not one Start with [the Austin Housing Authority’s applicant information (formerly HACA)](https://austinha.org/resources/applicants/), [HATC’s assistance notice](https://hatctx.com/assistance/assistance-waitlist) and the leasing office for each property. These are different routes, not one Austin waiting list. A closed voucher list doesn’t mean every tax credit property is closed. A property taking applications doesn’t mean vouchers are being issued. - The Austin Housing Authority runs its own voucher list and its Pathways properties. When we last checked [its Find Housing page](https://austinha.org/find-housing/), it showed waitlist applications as closed. - HATC, the Housing Authority of Travis County, is a separate agency. Its [assistance waitlist page](https://hatctx.com/assistance/assistance-waitlist) showed the voucher list as closed when we last looked. - Privately managed tax credit and SMART Housing properties take applications at their own leasing offices. Each one may have a unit open, a list of its own, or nothing at the moment. Lists open and close without much warning. Check the live agency page before you decide either way. ## Read the notice, not just the button Look for the program name, the opening and closing dates, and the year. A registration link can stay up after a list has closed. Note how people get picked: by lottery, by the date and time they applied, or by some other policy. HATC’s waitlist page says it picks by random lottery. Don’t assume applying earlier helps your chances. If the instructions conflict, ask the agency before you send a duplicate. Already on an Austin Housing Authority list? [Its Find Housing page](https://austinha.org/find-housing/) has separate status checks for people who applied before and after January 1, 2021. Use the one that matches your application date. ## Find properties that take applications directly Use [AHOST](https://www.austintexas.gov/housing/programs/affordable-housing-online-search-tool-ahost) to find a property and the affordability levels it reports. Save the manager’s contact details. The city map doesn’t take rental applications. It gives you property contacts and affordability details, then sends you to the property for current availability. Comparing Riverside, North Lamar and other parts of Austin? Write down the actual building name and who you spoke with. A map pin isn’t an application. AHOST covers the City of Austin only. For a property outside the city, check its program yourself. If a property isn’t on the map, that alone doesn’t tell you whether it has restricted units. ## Is it an agency list or the property’s own list? Ask the leasing office which one you’re joining. The answer changes who reviews your application and where you check on it later. - A unit is being offered: ask for its rent, required charges and application link in writing. - Only a list is accepting names: ask which bedroom size and program the list covers before paying anything. - The office sends you to an agency: that’s a separate application with its own confirmation number. For an HATC property, follow [the county authority’s application steps for that property](https://hatctx.com/housing/how-to-apply). Keep its confirmation separate from a private leasing inquiry or an Austin Housing Authority application. ## Check the unit before you pay a fee Ask whether the unit you want is SMART Housing, LIHTC, both or something else. An answer about the whole building isn’t enough. Try this on the call: “Is the apartment you’re quoting one of the restricted units, and is it SMART Housing, tax credit or both?” Then ask for the bedroom size and when that unit will be ready. “The building is leasing” isn’t an answer. Get the rent, required charges and screening rules in writing before you pay. If you’re applying at several places, our [application fee calculator](/tools/application-fee-savings-calculator/) shows what those fees add up to. ## Save yourself a wasted trip across Austin Before you tour, confirm three things: they can show you the restricted unit they quoted, where to go in, and whether you need an appointment. Need to get to UT Austin, downtown or a job in North Austin? Test the trip from the building’s front door, not from the neighborhood name. Save the address in the [Austin property finder](/property-finder/austin/), with a note of who you talked to and when. For the income question, use the [Austin income guide](/guide/austin-ami-income-limits-who-qualifies/). For city affordability rules, use the [SMART Housing guide](/guide/austin-smart-housing-city-affordability-programs/). Both are for research. Neither is a live vacancy feed. ## Keep a small application log - Record the agency, property, program and confirmation number. - Save the official link for checking or updating your status, and the email you registered with. - Change your mailing address, phone number or household details through the right portal. - Keep copies of every notice and answer by the deadline it gives. - For each leasing office, write down who you talked to, the date and what they said about the unit. We don’t list a wait time here. Each wait depends on the agency’s list and your application category. Ask each agency about yours, and keep searching as you wait. [Read the full Austin search plan.](/austin/) Confirm property availability with management. ## Want help finding a community? Tell us where you want to live, your budget and what your household needs. We’ll help you sort out where to apply, and the property or agency makes the final call on approval. [Help Me Pick a Community](/find-housing/)