Austin doesn’t have an LGBTQ+ housing service of its own. What it does have: two big roommate sites that let you filter for people who say they’re LGBTQ+ friendly, a queer-centered student co-op in West Campus, and a City ordinance that covers sexual orientation and gender identity in housing. This guide covers all of them, plus who to call if a landlord turns you away.
If you’re still deciding which part of town to live in, start with our guide to where queer Austin lives.
The Short List
| Where | Why it’s here |
|---|---|
| Roommates.com | An opt-in “LGBTQ+ friendly” badge you can filter on; free to browse and message, paid plans for full profiles |
| Roomies | Its Austin room search has an “LGBTQ+ friendly” filter; free to list, search and message |
| Lex | A queer social app where you can post a roommate search with its housing tag |
| Eden co-op (ICC Austin) | A West Campus student co-op that says it’s dedicated to queer people; rooms from $725 a month with utilities |
Roommate Sites With an LGBTQ+ Filter
A badge or a filter means someone ticked a box. It tells you they say they’re affirming to live with. It doesn’t tell you anything about the person’s own identity, and it doesn’t replace meeting them.
Roommates.com
Roommates.com has a page for LGBTQ+ renters, and the feature it describes is simple: members can turn on an “LGBTQ+ friendly badge,” and anyone can “filter for it on any search.” The site says the badge “doesn’t say anything about your own identity, only that you’re an affirming person to live with.” You don’t have to state your own orientation or gender identity to use the site or the filter.
When we read the page in October 2026, it showed about 20 people with the badge around Austin, from Round Rock and Pflugerville down to Buda and Kyle, with rooms listed from $650 to $1,200 a month. Your phone number, address and full name stay private until you share them.
- Cost: A free plan lets you make a profile, browse and message. Paid plans are $6 for 7 days, $12 a month, $35 for 6 months or $49 a year, and all of them renew automatically until you cancel
- ID check: Free with any paid plan; verified members show an “ID Verified” badge
- More: Roommates.com’s LGBTQ+ roommates page
Is this your business? Update this listing
Roomies
Roomies’ Austin room search has an “LGBTQ+ friendly” checkbox in its filters, next to the pet and student options. People looking for a room can add the same tag to their own profile. Roomies says it’s free to list, search and message.
When you search, check where each person is looking. A profile can be tagged Austin and still be searching in another city.
- Cost: Free to list, search and message
- More: Roomies’ Austin rooms
Is this your business? Update this listing
Lex
Lex is a queer social app with posts instead of profiles. Its own help article suggests writing an “ISO” (in search of) post with the housing tag, and using its Lexplore feature to post in a city before you’ve moved there. It also suggests saying your neighborhood, budget and how many bathrooms you want up front.
Is this your business? Update this listing
Facebook Housing Groups
Many cities have a queer housing group on Facebook, and Lex’s guide points people to them. Most are private, so you ask to join and a moderator approves you. We couldn’t open an Austin group’s public page to confirm one is active, so we haven’t named one. Search Facebook for “Austin queer housing” and read the group’s rules before you post.
Student Co-op Housing
Eden Co-op (ICC Austin)
ICC Austin runs nine student housing co-ops in West Campus, and one of them, Eden, describes itself as “a space dedicated to celebrating and uplifting queer people, voices, and stories.” The house encourages members to take part in LGBTQ advocacy and says “all students of any identity are welcomed at Eden.” It has 14 members, 10 private rooms and 2 shared rooms, and pets are allowed.
Co-op living means you share the cooking, cleaning and house decisions. ICC says it serves “students of financial need,” and membership is open to any college student, not just UT. For 2026-2027, private bedrooms start at $1,075 a month and shared bedrooms at $725, with all utilities included. Rooms come unfurnished, and ICC warns that parking is very limited.
- Where: Eden, 1910 Rio Grande St., Austin 78705. ICC office, 2305 Nueces St., Austin 78705
- Contact: [email protected]
- More: ICC’s houses, including Eden and rates
Is this your co-op? Update this listing
Your Rights in Austin
The City of Austin’s housing discrimination rules cover “sexual orientation, transgender status, gender identity, and/or gender expression,” for rentals, apartment complexes, home sales and mortgage loans, as the City’s Civil Rights Division states.
If a landlord, leasing office or lender turns you away for who you are:
- Report it to the City. Austin Equity and Inclusion’s Civil Rights Division takes housing complaints: 512-974-3251, [email protected], or the complaint forms page, in English and Spanish. Interpreters are available by phone or email
- Talk it through first. The Austin Tenants Council Project, part of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, says it helps with discrimination “on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and other protected classes.” Phone counseling at 512-474-1961, Monday to Thursday 9 to noon and 1 to 4, Friday 9 to noon, or use the online intake
- Write things down. Keep the listing, the messages and the dates
For help with rent or utilities, the City’s renter resources page lists Austin Public Health’s rent and utility line (512-972-5780, limited funds) and a search tool for income-restricted apartments.
Before You Sign
- Meet in person first, somewhere public, and bring a friend if you’d like. Roommates.com’s own advice: anyone who asks for money before you meet isn’t someone to live with
- See the actual room. Ask who’s on the lease, what the rent covers, and how utilities split
- Ask the questions that matter to you. How the household handles guests and partners, whether everyone uses your name and pronouns, and who else lives there or visits often
- Get it in writing. Rent, deposit, move-in date and house rules
- Check transit and parking. West Campus co-ops have little parking; outer suburbs often mean a car
More housing guides:
- LGBTQ+ realtors in Austin, if you’re buying
- LGBTQ+ aging in Austin, for senior housing and care
What We Couldn’t Check
- Whether an Austin queer housing group on Facebook is active; Facebook’s search wouldn’t load for us
- Diggz, another roommate site, which blocked our browser with a check we don’t solve
- How many people use each filter in Austin, beyond what the pages showed on the day we read them
- Room availability at Eden for spring or fall; ask ICC
Last checked: October 2026. Each site’s pages read on October 16, 2026. See how we choose what goes on a list.
How We Check
We check every business and group we name against what it publishes about itself: its own site, its booking page, or its state license. No business pays to be in a guide, and we don’t earn a commission when you book.
The full method is on How We Choose. If something here is wrong or out of date, send a correction.
Coming early 2027
Community Circles: Six People, One Weeknight, the Same Faces Every Week
Small, peer-led, free. A place where people remember what you said last week.