The Biden administration could strengthen tenant protections on a national scale by leveraging federally backed mortgages to mandate rent stabilization and bar discrimination in rental housing.

Tenant advocates want the government to take stronger action against landlords whose properties are backed by federal mortgages, reports Mike Ludwig in Truthout, accusing landlords of price gouging.
As Ludwig explains, “About 12 million rental units are in properties backed by Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac in a federal program created by Congress and managed by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) that backs mortgages and home loans across the country.” This amounts to 25 percent of the nation’s multifamily housing.
Now, the Biden administration is weighing a proposal to attach rent control regulations to federally financed rental properties, part of the administration’s effort to create a ‘Renters Bill of Rights.’
According to the article, “The FHFA is wrapping up a public comment period on the proposal to enforce renter protections at federally financed properties, and tenants and members of Congress are also calling for ‘good cause’ eviction protections, the right to safe and habitable living conditions, the right to organize among tenants, and access to a national database of landlords who operate federally backed properties.” Activists also want to see protections for voucher recipients, who are often discriminated against.
FULL STORY: Priced Out and Fed Up, Tenants Demand a National Renters Bill of Rights

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
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