Landlords are still charging Houston families rent for homes destroyed by Harvey

Families who have been devastated by the floods in Houston are still being charged rent by their landlords despite being forced out of their homes, according to reports.

More than 200,000 houses were damaged or destroyed by Harvey after nearly 52 inches (132cm) of rain fell on the US's fourth largest city, resulting in the deaths of at least 60 people.

The flood left hundreds of thousands of people displaced, forcing them to take refuge in emergency accommodations.

One of those who had to be rescued from their house following the flood was Rocio Fuentes, who moved to the Texas city with her husband and five children just one month before Harvey hit.

Fuentes and her family are currently in her sister's home while they await to see if they are able to move back. Until then, they have been told they still need to pay rent on the property they were forced to abandon.

Speaking to The Guardian, Fuentes said: "Our landlords say we have to pay rent and late fees and every day it is going up.

"We are paying rent for somewhere we can't live in. They said 'you aren't the only ones in this situation', but what are we supposed to do? We don't have any money. We don't have anything."

A second Harvey victim, Isela Bezada, was taken to court by her landlord and evicted in the wake of Harvey. She said: "There are a lot of property owners who aren't conscious of what has gone on; they are being rude and kicking people out.

"There are people who have been hit really badly by these floods. We are all human beings. We all deserve help."

Under Texas law, a landlord can terminate lease on a property if it is "totally unusable" due to a disaster. However, if the property is deemed "partially unusable" because of a disaster, a landlord could still charge rent on the home, with a tenant only getting a possible reduction if determined by a court.

A spokesperson for the city of Houston's housing department said officials "are aware these problems exist", but the situation is covered by law.

Elsewhere, even those who own homes damaged by Harvey face additional problems should they wish to sell on and move.

Jennifer Fuller, a real estate agent with Keller Williams Memorial, told Reuters: "Home sales are probably going to have a stigma for a while until we have things cleaned up.

"I would advise anyone with water in their home to keep all documents related to remediation and take pictures so they can put the future buyer at ease about what was done."

David Stone, owner of Texas Fine Homes, a residential home builder in Houston, added: "I don't know that I would want to own a house that has been sitting in water for more than a day or two."