Housing Affordability Act
Congress proposes higher loan limits for apartment projects and new annual updates starting in 2026
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- Congress would raise federal loan limits for many types of multifamily housing projects, allowing bigger loans backed under the National Housing Act.
- The bill would also change how these loan limits get updated each year starting January 1, 2026, using a Census Bureau price index for multifamily construction.
- The Housing Department would have to publish any yearly loan-limit changes in the Federal Register, and the updated amounts would be rounded down to the next lower dollar.
- For renters, the goal is to make it easier to finance new or renovated apartment buildings; in practice, this could help increase housing supply, but it does not directly cap rents or give rent checks.
- For builders and lenders, higher limits could make more projects “fit” within the program rules, especially in higher-cost areas where construction prices have risen.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
How this policy affects specific groups of people
Milestones
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
3 articles
Lawmakers introduce bipartisan housing reform legislation
Reports on House Financial Services Committee housing reform package that includes provisions to update FHA multifamily loan limits—closely related context for the Housing Affordability Act’s loan-limit changes.
De La Cruz introduces bipartisan bill targeting affordable housing shortages
Covers introduction of the Housing Affordability Act in the House, focused on updating National Housing Act multifamily loan limits to better match construction costs and expand apartment supply.
Senate bill aims to raise FHA multifamily loan limits
Explains how the Housing Affordability Act would raise FHA multifamily per-unit loan limits and switch annual adjustments to a Census Bureau multifamily construction price deflator. (historical context)
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Housing Affordability Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(2)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.