What Real Estate Attys Say About Federal Moves on Housing

Public Policy & Regulation attorney Christopher Jaarda and West Coast Land Use and Environment attorney Ryan Leaderman were cited in a Law360 article on how recent federal housing proposals could affect efforts to expand housing supply nationwide. They discussed concerns about provisions in the proposed 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act that would restrict large investors that own at least 350 single-family homes from acquiring new ones, noting that some lenders are already opting out of build-to-rent projects as a result. Mr. Leaderman and Mr. Jaarda also explained that limiting build-to-rent housing could undermine the bill's broader goal of lowering housing costs by narrowing consumer choices.

"It's creating an impossibility," Mr. Leaderman said. "The lenders are pulling back on lending because of the great uncertainty associated with this bill. It's already having a negative impact on the development of much-needed housing. It is like policy gone bad."

"I encourage Congress, when I'm engaging with them, to think through the economics," Mr. Jaarda said. "Single-family rentals have become a great option for consumers. We seem to have lost that mindset."

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