Please find the Readout of White House Meeting on Tenant Protections and Rental Affordability. White House staff also shared two reports released by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Per staff, “These reports represent the kind of research the Administration is committed to that will inform policy decisions around tenant protections”: Tenant Background Checks Market Report and Consumer Snapshot: Tenant Background Checks
Based on recent meetings with the White House, this is an urgent request for NAHMA member feedback to help compile industry practices on working and communicating with tenants across three (3) themes: Safe and Decent Housing, Leasing and Compliance, and Eviction Prevention. In the coming weeks, NAHMA expects the White House to publish sweeping Tenant Protections and Actions to Combat Homelessness. Based on recent meetings, our best “guess” is that the menu of major policy actions under consideration include a federal Tenant Bill of Rights; Capping Rent Increases across the Federally-assisted portfolio; Fair Housing regulations/guidance on AFFH, Disparate Impact, Source of Income Discrimination, & Resident Harassment; Consumer Protections on Background Checks and Criminal Screening (see above); and Eviction Prevention.
NAHMA would like to be both collaborative and ensure some “reasonableness” in the formulation of the range of policies that are likely to be published. Here is how members can help:
- Please review the attached Readout of White House Meeting on Tenant Protections and Rental Affordability. For additional context, I have also attached yesterday’s White House meeting agenda.
- Please review questions on Page 2 of the attachment, “Resident-Centered Property Management Approached”. At this time, we welcome any constructive feedback and responses on these questions. For additional context, these are questions White House staff raised to industry groups, including NAHMA, during a November 8th meeting. Their specific request is for feedback on “a practice that was a requirement in one locality or state that you decided to incorporate in your standard leases or practices – and why you decided to integrate this approach nationally OR if there is a standard operating practice that is not a federal, state or local requirement that has had a positive impact that YOU would like us to take under consideration.“
Please provide feedback to Larry Keys at lkeys@nahma.org by November 22.