Exciting news from the White House yesterday with its release of the Blue Print for Renters Bill of Rights. It is especially exciting because it includes so many of the very principles that are before our own Massachusetts Legislature this Session (access to counsel in evictions; eviction record sealing and more!). Stay tuned for more on the Network’s state legislative priorities in our next post; for now let’s celebrate this important national leadership and let it inspire us to enact the laws necessary to protect renters here at home.
Special thanks to the National Low Income Housing Coalition for their summary of 1/25/23 below:
Today, the White House announced new actions to protect renters and promote rental affordability, as well as a Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights. Among the new actions the White House announced today are:
- The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) will launch a public process to examine proposed renter protections and anti-rent gouging measures for new federally-backed mortgages.
- The administration will hold quarterly meetings with renters and advocates to continue the conversation on renter protections, and will launch a Resident-Centered Housing Challenge, a call to action to housing providers and other stakeholders to commit to renter protections.
- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) will collect information to identify unfair practices that prevent tenants from accessing or staying in housing, informing each agency’s enforcement actions. This is the first time the FTC has acted on renter protections.
- The CFPB will issue guidance and coordinate with the FTC on enforcement to ensure accurate credit reporting.
- HUD will publish a notice of proposed rulemaking to implement the 30-day-notice requirement enacted by Congress through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020.
These actions are aligned with five principles for renter protections outlined in the Blueprint, including ensuring: access to safe, quality, accessible, and affordable housing; clear and fair leases; enforcement of renter rights and protection from unlawful discrimination and exclusion; the right to organize without obstruction or harassment from landlords; and eviction prevention, diversion and relief.
Read a Fact Sheet on the actions and Blueprint here: http://bit.ly/3WCVcRi
See the Administration’s Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights here: https://bit.ly/3wrcvdN
Read NLIHC’s statement here: https://bit.ly/3kL3VUE
