Former Teen Mom reality star Farrah Abraham, who is running for a city council seat in Austin‘s District 5, has criticized the city’s housing market, telling TMZ that her rent has doubled or tripled for her downtown apartment.

“They [residents] don’t have to feel like they’re moving farther and farther out of Austin. Like all of my friends just keep moving out,” Abraham said during the interview. “My rent for what I was renting downtown just doubled…maybe tripled.”

Newsweek has reached out to Abraham for comment via email on Friday.

Why It Matters

Austin, Texas, saw a surge in housing demand over the last few years.

Between February 2020 and May 2022, the city became what’s known as a pandemic boomtown. The median sale price of a home in Austin surged by more than 60 percent, according to Redfin data, reaching a peak of $659,500. 

While recently, prices have been course correcting as fewer people move to the city and many move out, downtown properties like the one that Abraham lives in could still be experiencing massive price jumps.

What To Know

Abraham, who starred on Teen Mom and 16 & Pregnant in 2009, had submitted paperwork to run in the Austin mayoral race. However, after learning that the election would not take place until 2028, Abraham refiled to enter the race for District 5’s city council seat.

The 34-year-old reality star said affordable housing is one of the issues she would tackle if elected.

“I reached out to the city and I just was like, ‘Hey, I’m very serious about this…I love this city and I want to get involved in and help where I live and breathe, and I know I can help because I’m making it, others seem to be struggling, and I want to jump in the mix,’” Abraham told local news station KXAN on Thursday. “If I could be a district seat and I could be mayor at the same time, I probably would do it.”

Abraham has lived in Austin since 2013 and grew up in Council Bluffs, Nebraska. She currently works as a life coach, standup comedian and OnlyFans model but said Austin’s housing affordability is driving her to seek public office.

“I’m literally going to be working with like brokers associations, realtors associations, and I’m going to hopefully be going in and fixing this, because we have like, 2008 tax laws for closing on homes that just really isn’t working for the Austin market, which is full of 1099s creatives and…self-employed people,” Abraham said.

She cited her own experiences living downtown, where rent has doubled or tripled what she initially paid.

Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee, said it’s surprising to hear the claim that an individual’s rent in Austin doubled given rent prices over the last year in the market have trended downward overall.

“Austin became one of the hottest markets during the pandemic, with employers flocking to the city and the then-limited housing supply ensuring prices would skyrocket,” Beene told Newsweek. With there now being ample supply and less demand, though, we’re starting to see those rental prices level off from their highs.”

While Abraham said she did not know who currently served District 5, she wants to improve living for those who reside in the area.

“I don’t even know who’s in District 5, maybe their names just like aren’t big names or something. They just don’t come up where I work,” Abraham said. “People definitely are not enthused with people who are in charge of the city or districts or mayor.”

Council Member Ryan Alter, a Harvard Law School graduate, has represented the district since 2023.

What People Are Saying

Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee, told Newsweek: “It’s possible select, in-demand parts of the city could continue to see rising rents, with added pressure coming from landlords that may own multiple properties and are using rent increases on some to supplement the losses on others.”

What Happens Next

The filing deadline for city council is August 18, and Abraham said she’s excited to focus on improving life for Austin residents.

“I just can’t wait to see what’s really going on…We’re going to have a really good life. We’re going to have a better life in Austin,” she told KXAN.