Texas has been a hot spot for problem apartment loans for at least three years.
When Applesway Investment Group defaulted on nearly $230 million in April 2023, the problems began surfacing in the Lone Star State. The Federal Reserve’s decision to start hiking interest rates in March 2022 increased borrowing costs for apartment owners across the country. Taxes and insurance costs in Texas presented additional problems.
Now, some owners in the state are dealing with a new issue. Last year, Texas enacted House Bill 21, which significantly changed how the state’s housing projects can access property tax exemptions.
In some loans, borrowers were required to access those exemptions. Without them, loans are starting to go bad. For instance, the Waterford Grove Apartments moved into special servicing earlier this month after the borrower was unable to secure the tax exemption required under the loan agreement.
“We’re starting to track these Texas loans — this is the third loan to transfer to special servicing because of this tax exemption issue,” David Putro, head of analytics at Morningstar Credit, told Multifamily Dive in emailed comments.
As more owners in Texas and across the country lose their properties, Multifamily Dive will cover the situation. Here, we round up the problem loans that have surfaced around the country since January 2023. Please check this page for regular updates.
