WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Biden administration announced new actions to protect renters and promote rental affordability. These actions come following Rep. Grijalva’s letter to President Biden to supplement pre-existing efforts with actions that support tenants and address the issue of rent inflation and corporate price gouging in the rental market today.
“With Arizona facing one of the worst homelessness crises in the nation, the Biden administration’s actions are a positive step to strengthen tenant protections and encourage rental affordability in our state and across the nation,” said Rep. Grijalva. “I’m glad to see the Biden administration following-up and building on our calls to make housing more affordable and accessible for all. I will continue to fight for renter rights, affordable housing and to stop rampant corporate price gouging.”
The actions taken by the Biden administration 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.
• 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.
• 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 a broad, diverse, and varying group of tenants and tenant advocates to ensure they continue to have a seat at the table and can share ambitious ideas to strengthen tenant protections.
The full actions taken by the Biden administration can be found here.