Housing Affordability Act

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.