US Housing Affordability Efforts Span Policy, Lending

Efforts to address housing affordability span federal mortgage reforms, local rental protections and investment in affordable homes. Federal housing officials described changes intended to lower costs and reduce regulatory burdens, noting FHA loans’ importance to first-time buyers and veterans’ access to VA mortgages. In Toledo, officials are seeking to extend testing for rental discrimination based on tenants’ source of income, while pausing the work for additional training; early findings point to possible gaps in smaller landlords’ understanding of the rules. TD says it has pledged $5 billion in housing-affordability lending over three years and financed projects to build or preserve affordable rentals, as the supply of units renting for under $1,000 has declined. Meanwhile, New York City’s rent freeze and plans to build and preserve affordable housing have drawn concern from real estate industry panelists, and Delaware leaders remain divided over whether rent caps protect tenants or whether policy should prioritize building more homes.