The National Housing Law Project Highlights Biden’s Housing Record, Urging Him To Make It His Legacy

Biden Administration Was First Presidency in a Generation to Make Housing Central to its Economic Agenda

WASHINGTON D.C.—The National Housing Law Project today released the following statement by executive director Shamus Roller that highlights the Biden administration’s record on housing and urges him to finish the job and make it his legacy:

“President Biden and his administration made massive strides in housing policy amid record-high homelessness and rent inflation. The eviction moratoriums during the early pandemic, the Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights, the policy to cap rents at Low-Income Housing Tax Credit properties, and an historic directive to prevent corporate rent gouging all made clear President Biden’s intent to address the urgent and material needs of tenants.

“Tenants and housing advocates organized for years to push the administration to consider housing the most important issue affecting our nation’s domestic economy. We thank them for their rigor and determination.

“Today, working people and families continue to struggle. Unstable housing can further trap them in cycles of poverty, risk their health, and make it harder to contribute to their community and the economy.

“We’re fighting for a federal government that puts people over profit and corrects the power imbalance between tenants and landlords. We urge President Biden to cement his legacy and finish addressing the economic issue of our time. In the last months of his historic presidency, President Biden must continue delivering for working people by bringing down housing costs and keeping families stably housed.”

Major wins for tenants and homeowners under the Biden administration include:

• Reining in corporate rent-gouging with his directive to Congress to cap rents;
• Capping rents for properties in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program;
• Releasing the Blueprint for a Renter’s Bill of Rights;
• Banning evictions during the worst moments of COVID;
• Improving energy efficiency and lowering utility bills through programs in the Inflation Reduction Act;
• Curbing the worst abuses of the tenant screening industry;
• Ensuring the most marginalized tenants have 30 days notice before an eviction;
• Helping low-income homeowners avoid foreclosure through the Homeowner Assistance Fund; and
• Bolstering tenant protections for survivors of gender-based violence in the 2022 Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act.

A full list that includes policies by HUD, USDA, FHFA, FTC, and CFPB may be found here.