Choice in Affordable Housing Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5]
Introduced
Summary
This bill would create targeted incentives and a new fund to get more landlords to accept Housing Choice Vouchers so voucher households can rent in low-poverty "high-opportunity" neighborhoods. Boost landlord participation in the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program.
Show full summary
- Families and tenants: Provides program-funded security deposit assistance to lower upfront costs and gives priority to extremely low-income tenants to help them move into higher-opportunity areas.
- Landlords and public housing agencies (PHAs): Authorizes one-time landlord incentive payments for eligible units of up to 200 percent of a month's housing assistance payment and bonus payments to PHAs to fund landlord liaisons capped at 150 percent of the average liaison cost. It also creates a pre-approval path and allows some housing quality standards to be met through participation in other HUD programs to speed leasing.
- Program design and oversight: Requires designated metropolitan areas to adopt small-area fair market rents within three years and includes a hold-harmless for tenant payments. Establishes the Herschel Lashkowitz Housing Partnership Fund to finance these incentives, and mandates annual HUD reports for 5 years on landlords and assisted units in high-opportunity areas.
*This bill would increase federal spending by authorizing $100.0 million annually for fiscal years 2025 through 2029 for the Herschel Lashkowitz Housing Partnership Fund.*
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Bonus for leasing in low-poverty areas
If enacted, housing agencies could offer a one-time bonus to owners who lease an eligible unit in a low-poverty tract to a voucher family. The bonus could be up to 200% of the monthly housing assistance payment for that unit. The unit must be in a tract with poverty under 20% and must not have had a voucher contract before. An owner could get only one such bonus total, even if they own many units or work with many agencies. An agency could require the owner to agree to rent to voucher tenants for more than one year.
Security deposit help for voucher renters
Housing agencies could pay all or part of a voucher renter’s security deposit. They would give priority to extremely low-income families. Landlords could file itemized damage claims with the agency, and tenants could respond. Any unused deposit money must go back to the agency when the tenant moves out. At lease signing, tenants would be told which repair costs they may owe.
More ZIP code-based rents with protections
Within three years, HUD would require more metro areas to use ZIP-code fair market rents for vouchers. The number of metro areas would be at least three times the 2016 rule’s list. Payments could rise in high-cost ZIP codes and fall in lower-cost areas. If a family’s payment standard would drop, they would keep the higher one while they stay in the same unit.
Faster voucher leasing with pre-checked units
New landlords could ask for a pre-inspection before a tenant picks the unit. If it passes and a lease is signed within 60 days, that inspection would count. Agencies would share lists of pre-inspected units with selected families. Agencies could also accept inspection results from LIHTC, HOME, or USDA Rural Housing Service programs if the unit passed in the last 12 months.
Landlord liaisons at local housing agencies
Housing agencies would get a yearly bonus if they have a dedicated landlord liaison. The bonus could be up to 150% of the local average cost to hire one. Liaisons would recruit and train landlords and run a hotline or online portal for questions.
HUD would update voucher program scoring
HUD would review and update how it scores voucher agencies. The review would focus on timely rent payments to landlords, correct unit tracking, and more leases in low-poverty, integrated areas. This is a planning step and would not change benefits right away.
Free Policy Watch
You just read the policy. Now see what it costs you.
Pick a topic. PRIA runs your household against live legislation and sends you a free personalized readout.
Pick a topic to get started
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5]
MO • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17]
NY • R
Sponsored 3/10/2025
Rep. Casten, Sean [D-IL-6]
IL • D
Sponsored 3/10/2025
Rep. Gooden, Lance [R-TX-5]
TX • R
Sponsored 3/10/2025
Rep. Lynch, Stephen F. [D-MA-8]
MA • D
Sponsored 3/10/2025
Ciscomani
AZ • R
Sponsored 3/10/2025
Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1]
PA • R
Sponsored 9/9/2025
Rep. Larson, John B. [D-CT-1]
CT • D
Sponsored 9/9/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.govTake It Personal
Get Your Personalized Policy View
Take the PRIA Score to see how policy affects your household, then upgrade to PRIA Full Coverage for year-round monitoring.
Already have an account? Sign in