Research desk
Federal, state and local housing policy: bills, rules and funding decisions that change what a landlord may do. The desk publishes an original briefing every morning, and every one that carries this tag collects here.
25 briefings on this topicevery figure linked to its source
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A federal court gave final approval to $359.9M in RealPage rent-pricing settlements. Renters have until Jan. 29, 2027 to claim. Managers should expect ledger requests and review what data feeds their pricing tools.
Read the briefingFlorida voters approved Amendment 3 with about 62% of the unofficial vote. Rentals get no new homestead exemption, but starting Jan. 1, 2027 non-homestead assessments can rise only 5% a year for non-school taxes. Taxes depend on what counties do next.
Read the briefingHUD says 2026 voucher shortfall demand will likely exceed available funds. Agencies in confirmed shortfall must pause most new vouchers to stay eligible for HUD shortfall funds. Here is how to check your agency on HUD's dashboard and protect renewals.
Read the briefingThe Fed held rates on Oct. 28, but two officials wanted a hike, inflation remains elevated and the 10-year Treasury is near 5%. Borrowing costs aren't falling. Stress-test debt, price renewals for retention and budget 2027 as if relief comes late.
Read the briefingThe federal ROAD to Housing Act is law, but little of it works yet. Investors with 350+ single-family homes face a purchase ban from Jan. 7, 2027, plus new renter-notice and HUD reporting duties; voucher inspection relief still waits on guidance.
Read the briefingGasoline drove September's 3.7% inflation, while rent of primary residence rose just 0.2%. The real risk for landlords is the Fed and 7.5% mortgage rates.
Read the briefingA new federal pilot lets local programs lend small landlords repair money, forgivable within 3 years. The price for owners not renting to voucher holders: a rent-increase cap at the lower of 5% or inflation, lease-extension offers and affordability terms. HUD has not yet announced funding for it.
Read the briefingCal/OSHA's draft rule would stop fabrication of engineered stone above 1% silica, 60 days after it takes effect, with a 180-day sell-through. Installed countertops aren't affected. New quartz for California turns could get scarce.
Read the briefingThe Fed's September minutes say most participants expect another increase by year end, depending on data. Mortgage rates hit 7.49% in the latest weekly survey. Here is how to plan refinances and renewals.
Read the briefingNew York City's first 0% freeze on both one- and two-year stabilized leases is in effect, but a judge won't rule until year's end. Here's what owners and managers should do with renewals now.
Read the briefingPayrolls rose just 29,000 in September and unemployment hit 4.2%. Markets lean toward an October Fed hold, but rent growth is under 1% and mortgage rates are near 7.3%.
Read the briefingA federal judge paused New York's algorithmic rent-setting ban on First Amendment grounds. It is a preliminary ruling, not a green light for coordinated pricing.
Read the briefingStarting October 1, 2026, Maryland landlords with five or more units must delay most criminal-history questions until after a conditional offer. New rules on voucher-holder credit screening and rent reporting also start, and AC rules now reach renovated units.
Read the briefingThe 10-year Treasury yield reached 5.24% on Sept. 28 and Freddie Mac's 30-year rate hit 7.03%. Owners with loans, rate caps or IO periods ending soon should rerun refinance math, price caps, and push renewals early.
Read the briefingRealPage, Camden and Pinnacle argue the May 2026 DOJ final judgment makes some or all of the states' federal antitrust and injunction claims moot. The states say they are not parties and can still seek full relief. The court has not ruled, so landlords using pricing software still face risk.
Read the briefingChicago's City Council deferred both renter ordinances to September 29. Mayor Johnson's PRO would charge $20 to $60 per unit a year and ban move-in fees; the rival FAIR ordinance has no registration fee and allows disclosed move-in fees. Either one would create a rental registry.
Read the briefingGov. Abbott froze data center permitting on September 21 pending grid and water audits. The bigger number for landlords is construction inputs, up 8.9% year over year, with steel and copper up far more.
Read the briefingAn entire vendor ecosystem is selling AI cameras and plate readers into apartment communities. The owner, not the vendor, decides whether the data leaves the property — and California's ALPR statute already puts duties on private operators.
Read the briefingFreddie Mac's weekly survey put the 30-year at 6.95% for the week ending September 17. Daily and live trackers ran near 7.2%. The gap is a survey lag, and underwriting off the headline understates your debt service by about 30 basis points.
Read the briefingSelf-represented plaintiffs rose from about 11% to roughly 17% of federal civil cases after generative AI arrived, and docket activity per case is up 38%. Two studies find AI-drafted complaints do not win more often. For landlords the exposure is procedural cost.
Read the briefingHUD withdrew its 2016 criminal-records guidance and is proposing to delete its disparate-impact rule, but the statute, the screening regulations and the FCRA adverse-action notice all still apply. What that means for your written criteria.
Read the briefingCalifornia gives you 21 days, New York 14, Arizona 14 business days, and most of the rest 30 — but the clock starts at a different moment in almost every state, and a late itemization is often a total forfeiture.
Read the briefingJBG Smith ($8.1M) and MAA ($1.2M) agreed to settle Washington, D.C.'s RealPage antitrust suit. The consent orders go beyond a data ban: for eight to 10 years, neither may use D.C. pricing tools that reward accepting prices, auto-accept without user limits, or make batch rejection materially harder.
Read the briefingThe Fed meets Sept. 15-16 with markets braced for the first hike since 2023 and mortgage rates at a 15-month high of 6.76%. Sidelined buyers are a retention tailwind, but a record seller surplus means unsold homes can become rental competition. What to do before Wednesday.
Read the briefingPinnacle agreed to a proposed DOJ consent decree filed Sept. 4; Camden Property Trust is the only one of the six landlords Multifamily Dive lists that has not settled. The decrees bar pricing on competitors' nonpublic data; here is what pricing-software users should check this week.
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