Administration also launches Resident-Centered Housing Challenge, a call-to-action to improve the quality of life for renters
Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing new actions to increase fairness in the rental market and further principles of fair housing. These actions align with a new Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights that the Administration is also releasing today. The Blueprint lays out a set of principles to drive action by the federal government, state and local partners, and the private sector to strengthen tenant protections and encourage rental affordability. Key actions announced today include:
- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), both independent agencies, announced they will collect information to identify practices that unfairly prevent applicants and tenants from accessing or staying in housing in order to inform enforcement and policy actions under each agency’s jurisdiction. This is the first time the FTC has issued a request for information exploring unfair practices in the rental market. The two agencies will seek information on a broad range of practices that affect the rental market, including the creation and use of tenant background checks, the use of algorithms in tenant screenings, the provision of adverse action notices by landlords and property management companies, and how an applicant’s source of income factors into housing decisions.
- The CFPB announced it will issue guidance and coordinate enforcement efforts with the FTC to ensure accurate information in the credit reporting system and to hold background check companies accountable for having unreasonable procedures.
- The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), an independent agency, announced it will launch a new public process to examine proposed actions promoting renter protections and limits on egregious rent increases for future investments. FHFA will maintain transparency throughout the process and provide periodic updates, including one within 6 months, to interested stakeholders. As announced in November, the FHFA will also increase affordability in the multifamily rental market by establishing requirements that encourage the financing of multifamily loans that guarantee affordable housing.In 2022, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae purchased a combined $142 billion in multifamily loans supporting over one million units. If the same activity holds in 2023, this would mean an investment in approximately 700,000 affordable units.
- A U.S. Department of Justice workshop will inform potential guidance updates around anti-competitive information sharing, including in rental markets.
- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will publish a notice of proposed rulemaking that would require public housing authorities and owners of project-based rental assistance properties to provide at least 30 days’ advanced notice before terminating a lease due to nonpayment of rent.
- The Administration will hold quarterly meetings with abroad, diverse, and varyinggroup oftenants and tenant advocates to ensure they continue to have a seat at the table and can share ambitious ideas to strengthen tenant protections.
These new announcements are part of a broader set of federal actions that exemplify the principles laid out in the Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights, which underscores key protections every renter deserves:
- Safe, Quality, Accessible, and Affordable Housing: Renters should have access to housing that is safe, decent, and affordable.
- Clear and Fair Leases: Renters should have a clear and fair lease that has defined rental terms, rights, and responsibilities.
- Education, Enforcement, and Enhancement of Renter Rights: Federal, state, and local governments should do all they can to ensure renters know their rights and to protect renters from unlawful discrimination and exclusion.
- The Right to Organize: Renters should have the freedom to organize without obstruction or harassment from their housing provider or property manager.
- Eviction Prevention, Diversion, and Relief: Renters should be able to access resources that help them avoid eviction, ensure the legal process during an eviction proceeding is fair, and avoid future housing instability.
In addition, the Administration is rallying state and local stakeholders and private housing actors to drive further action to protect renters in line with the Blueprint. As part of this effort, the Administration is launching the Resident-Centered Housing Challenge (Challenge), a call to action to housing providers and other stakeholders to strengthen practices and make their own independent commitments that improve the quality of life for renters. The Challenge, which will occur during the Spring of 2023, also encourages states, local, Tribal, and territorial governments to enhance existing policies and develop new ones that promote fairness and transparency in the rental market. Early commitments in support of the Challenge,which wouldaffectover 15million rental units,include:
- Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) and Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) have capped annual rental increases to 5 percent per year for federally or state subsidized affordable housing. Beginning in 2023, WHEDA policy applies to existing residents in properties utilizing state or federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.PHFA applied this policy to their portfolio of 450 properties with PHFA funding in 2022.
- Members of the Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF), which collectively own or manage 145,000 housing units across the U.S., commit to offer flexible payment plans for residents with unpaid rent who have engaged with property management and to provide the following notices and protections where permitted by local law and financing documents: at least 30 days’ notice to vacate for nonpayment of rent; at least 5 days to cure a missed rent payment; and 60 days’ notice to tenants of any proposed sale or closure of a property. SAHF also commits to launching a task force of its members to identify best practices for resident-centered practices and share resources with the field including model policies and procedures, sample notices, and case studies.
- Realtor.com Rentals will pilot a new listing process through their DIY landlord product, Avail, highlighting units and landlords that indicate that they welcome Housing Choice Vouchers. Realtor.com will be able to share this information with its nearly 5 million monthly rentals search visitors. They will also ensure that more than 1.3 million Avail renters have access to their application information so they can submit their application to multiple property owners on the platform without additional cost.
- The National Apartment Association commits to promoting resident programming and practices, such as helping tenants build and improve credit through reporting of positive rent payments to credit bureaus, through their website, industry events and other content channels that reach a network of more over 95,000 members owning and operating more than 11.6 million apartment homes globally.
- The National Association of Realtors and its affiliate, the Institute of Real Estate Management, commit to creating new resources for property managers in their network of 1.5 million members that highlight ways they can incorporate resident-centered property management practices in their businesses. Practices would include a range of examples that have proven effective, such as advertising to prospective residents that Housing Choice Vouchers are accepted at their property, providing information about rental assistance, and using alternative credit scores for applicants without a detailed credit history.
- The National Multifamily Housing Council commits to working with its 2,000 members to identify business standards that align with principles of resident-centered management practices, such as helping residents build credit, providing resource information to residents in financial distress, and communicating these practices through a new resource hub on its website.
The Administration welcomes additional commitments from interested stakeholders to: pursue high-road practices aligned with the Blueprint principles; create new benefits for residents that enhance their economic mobility, build credit, and prepare them for homeownership; reduce or eliminating rental “junk fees,” which are the hidden fees, charges, and add-ons that take cash out of people’s pockets; expand pathways to eviction mitigation and prevention; and enhance and increase communication about tenant rights. To join the Challenge, interested partners can completethis survey by April 28, 2023.Questions regarding the White House Resident-Centered Housing Challenge team, can be directed to RCHousingChallenge@who.eop.gov.
Over a third of the American population – 44 million households – rent their homes. Before the pandemic, well over 2 million eviction fillings and roughly 900,000 evictions occurred annually – disproportionately affecting Black women and their children. Since then, rental housing has become less affordable with some landlords taking advantage of market conditions to pursue egregious rent increases. Today’s announcements recognize there are responsible housing providers – large and small, national and local – willing to treat renters fairly, but it also holds accountable those who exploit market realities at the cost of renters’ housing access and stability.
Since taking office, the President has taken substantial steps to promote fairness in the rental market and ease the burden of rental costs for millions of American renters. The Administration kept the national eviction moratorium in place until August 2021, which helped to prevent over 1.5 million eviction filings nationwide. The Administration has delivered over 8 million rental or utility assistance payments to reduce renters’ risk of eviction or housing instability through Emergency Rental Assistance programs and provided over $769 million for housing stability services.Last May, the Administration released a Housing Supply Action Plan, which set the goal of closing America’s housing supply shortfall in five years. The Administration has been making progress advancing a long-term goal of providing housing vouchers to all eligible households: the 2022 and 2023 President’s Budgets proposed to expand rental assistance to an additional 200,000 households – and the Administration has secured rental assistance to more than 100,000 households through the 2022 and 2033 appropriations bills and the American Rescue Plan. And, last week, HUD published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on its efforts to Affirmatively Further Fair Housing.
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FAQs
What is the White House Housing Supply Action Plan? ›
The White House's Housing Supply Action Plan aims to increase housing affordability and supply through specific legislative and regulatory actions. October 17, 2022, 8:30 a.m.
What is the all in plan Biden? ›President Biden encourages state and local governments to use All In, which was developed by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), as a blueprint for creating their own plans to prevent and end homelessness and setting their own ambitious goals for 2025.
Can the landlord raise the rent during the pandemic in Texas? ›There is not a statewide law that places limits on how much a landlord can increase the rent when a lease is renewed. In fact, Texas law only allows cities to establish local rent control ordinances in certain cases. A state of disaster has to have been declared and the city must find that a housing emergency exists.
What is the new rent control law in California? ›That's because California's AB-1482 rent control law caps the maximum allowable annual rent increase to only 10%. So in most cities and situations, California landlords who are not exempt from rent control can only raise the rent by a minimum of 5% and a maximum of 10% starting August 1, 2022 until July 31, 2023.
What is the new home guarantee 2023? ›Any Guarantee of a home loan is for up to a maximum amount of 15% of the value of the property (as assessed by the Participating Lender). This Guarantee is not a cash payment or a deposit for a home loan. From 1 July 2022 – 30 June 2023, 35,000 FHBG places are available to eligible first home buyers.
What are the 3 main parts of the White House? ›There are three main parts of the white house: The West Wing, East Wing and the Residence. The West Wing houses the offices of the President, the Oval Office, Cabinet Room, Situation Room and the Roosevelt Room. The East Wing often is used as an office space for the First Lady and her staff.
How much can a landlord raise rent in Texas 2022? ›There is no maximum rent increase in Texas since Texas has no rent control laws. Landlords can raise the rent as much as they like. Even though the Texas state government has not set a maximum rent increase limit, that doesn't mean landlords are allowed to increase rents however and whenever they want.
Can a landlord increase rent every 6 months? ›Your landlord can't increase your rent during your fixed term unless you agree or your agreement allows it. If your agreement says your rent can be increased it has to say when and how it will be done. This is known as having a 'rent review clause'.
How much notice does a landlord have to give a tenant to move out in Texas? ›Unless the lease agreement says otherwise, the landlord must give the tenant at least 3 days to move out. They cannot file an eviction suit before they give this notice in writing.
How many times can a landlord raise rent in California 2022? ›Raising rent in California
Landlords are allowed to raise rent by a maximum of 10% every 12 months. That means if the CPI change is above 5%, the maximum increase caps at 10%.
How much can a landlord raise rent in California 2022 month to month? ›
Under AB 1482, landlords are limited to increasing rent by no more than 5% plus the local inflation rate. The local inflation rate is determined by the California Consumer Price Index (CCPI), which is released annually by the California Department of Finance.
Can landlords evict tenants in California 2022? ›Your landlord must apply for rental assistance by March 31, 2022 before they can try to evict you through the courts for failing to pay your rent.
Is there a new help to buy scheme 2023? ›In October 2018 the government announced that the Help to Buy: Equity Loan (2021-2023) scheme would run from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2023. There are no plans to extend or replace Help to Buy: Equity Loan.
What will happen to house prices in the next 5 years? ›' Savills says it expects to see house price growth of 1% in 2024 and a larger rebound of 7% in 2026 if mortgage lenders cut rates over the next 12 months and the base rate declines from mid-2024 as inflation falls.
Is a home's value is guaranteed to increase over time? ›Many first-time home buyers believe the physical characteristics of a house will lead to increased property value. But in reality, a property's physical structure tends to depreciate over time, while the land it sits on typically appreciates in value.
What side of the White House is the front? ›There is no official front or back to the White House (though the official entrance is the East Wing). But when you're viewing the White House, you can view it from the North side (Pennsylvania Ave NW) or the South side (the National Mall).
Can landlord raise rent on month to month lease in Texas? ›Only a fixed-term lease can bind the landlord not to raise the rent until the lease ends. After the lease ends, the landlord can raise however they want when renewing the lease. Also, in a month-to-month lease, the landlord can raise the rent any time after producing a notice one month prior.
What is the average rent increase for 2022? ›Gauteng, previously the second most expensive province in which to rent, was overtaken this quarter by both the Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Rent in the province increased by just R147 year on year, from R8 235 in Q3 2021 to R8 382 in Q3 2022.
At what point can a landlord increase rent? ›In Lagos State, landlords can increase rent once every 6 months. Rent increases in Lagos State are governed by the Landlord and Tenant Act (LTA) of 1960, which gives tenants and landlords the right to demand rent increases.
How much can a landlord increase rent 2023? ›The government has confirmed that there will be a cap on rent increases for social housing tenants across the country. This means that rents will increase by up to 7% from 1 April 2023.
Can landlord increase rent by 200 per month? ›
Unfortunately, there is no set cap on the amount your landlord can increase your rent by. But, if you're a good tenant who looks after the property and always pays on time, they probably won't want to price you out.
Can my landlord increase my rent without a contract? ›If you do not sign a new contract or agree to a higher rent, your rent stays the same unless your landlord has given you a legal rent increase notice. This is called a section 13 notice. Your landlord can give you this notice during a fixed term tenancy but your rent will only go up when the fixed term has ended.
How much notice do I need to give my landlord to move out? ›1 month's notice if your tenancy runs from month to month. If your rental period runs for longer than a month, you need to give the same amount of notice as your rental period. For example, if you pay rent every 3 months, you'll need to give your landlord 3 months' notice. If you live with your landlord.
Will a tenant pay rent after quit notice? ›Paying Rent After Serving Notice
After notice is served on the tenant, they must pay within the time frame in the notice, so if the tenant gets a three-day notice to pay rent or quit, they must pay within three days. Once the tenant pays, they have cured the breach of the lease and cannot be evicted.
❏ On the day the tenants move out, landlords should conduct a final inspection. Tasks include: Consult the inventory and record variances or discrepancies. Any missing or damaged items that are not considered as fair “wear and tear” should be deducted from their deposit.
How does the White House transition work? ›Transition normally involves a transition team to carry out some pre-election planning by the non-incumbent candidates, and involves consideration of key personnel from the outgoing and incoming presidents' staffs, requires resources, and includes a host of activities, such as vetting candidates for positions in the ...
What is Biden doing about the housing market? ›Biden's plan assumes that if the supply of houses increases to meet rising demand, then prices should stabilize or even fall. He wants to use $100 billion tax dollars to construct and upgrade affordable housing.
What did the Federal housing Act accomplish? ›Among its many achievements, FHA modernized the American mortgage system, improved the quality of the nation's housing stock, prevented millions of Americans from losing their homes, allowed millions more to purchase their first home, and financed the construction of millions of modestly priced rental units.
What were the goals of the Housing Act of 1949 explain? ›Components of the legislation aimed at reducing housing costs, raising housing standards, and enabling the federal government for the first time, to aid cities in clearing slums and rebuilding blighted areas. The program emphasized new construction.
Does the White House physician travel with the president? ›A physician and nurse also travel with presidential motorcades. They are strategically positioned so as to be close enough to respond to an emergency but far enough away to minimize the likelihood of being caught in the event.
Does the White House still have a taping system? ›
After Nixon left office, the practice of systematically and secretly recording conversations in the White House was discontinued. To address issues that arose during and in the aftermath of Watergate, Congress passed the Presidential Records Act of 1978.
Do White House staff live in the White House? ›It was further expanded with the Truman Reconstruction and currently contains 20 rooms, nine bathrooms, and a main hall. This floor was once used for staff bedrooms, but no staff currently live in the White House.
Is there a shortage of rental properties? ›The average rental in London hit a record £553 a week last month with almost 30 applicants vying for each property, as landlords cashed in on soaring demand and a lack of new properties coming on to the market in the capital.
How can the government reduce house prices? ›Government subsidies – the government can provide subsidies for housing developments to increase the supply of housing in areas where there is high demand. By increasing supply they hope to decrease the price of houses.
Is there a housing shortage in the US? ›Experts say the decades-long U.S. housing shortage is only going to get worse in the next year. Top economist for homebuilders says due to rising mortgage rates, the 2023 market will be "weak." Policy expert: "We're seeing housing underproduction in every corner of the U.S."
What program from the New Deal era is still in effect today the Federal Housing Administration? ›The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) in banking and Fannie Mae (FNMA) in mortgage lending are among New Deal programs still in operation.
What was the Home Owners Loan Act New Deal? ›New Deal legislation
The Home Owners Loan Act established a corporation that refinanced one of every five mortgages on urban private residences. Other bills passed during the Hundred Days, as well as subsequent legislation, provided aid for the unemployed and the working poor and attacked the problems of agriculture…
The FHA lasted until 1965, when its functions and duties were taken over by the newly-created Department of Housing and Urban Development [10].
What is Section 17 of the United States Housing Act of 1937? ›(1) Section 17(d)(8)(A) of the U.S. Housing Act of 1937 prohibits the rents for low-income units from exceeding “30 per centum of the adjusted income of a family whose income equals 50 per centum of the median income for the area, as determined by the Secretary with adjustments for smaller and larger families.” This ...
What is Section 538 of the Housing Act of 1949? ›Section 538 of the Housing Act of 1949, as amended (42 U.S.C. 1490p) (Housing Act) broadly requires a publication of the availability of funds, application procedures, and selection criteria in the Federal Register, it does not require an annual NOFA.
What is Section 502 of the Housing Act of 1949? ›
Section 502 of the Housing Act of 1949 gave USDA authority to make housing loans to farm owners to construct or repair farm dwellings and other buildings, for themselves or their tenants, sharecroppers, and laborers.