HOME Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Representative Horsford
Introduced
Summary
This bill would create a federal framework to prevent price gouging in residential rentals and single-family home sales during declared affordable housing crisis periods. It would give HUD new enforcement and data-monitoring powers, limit investor concentration, and require changes by housing finance enterprises to protect renters and buyers.
Show full summary
- Families and renters: Would make it unlawful during a declared crisis to charge "unconscionably excessive" rents or sale prices and lets HUD and state attorneys general seek penalties that are deposited into the Housing Trust Fund.
- Homebuyers and communities: Requires HUD to investigate local markets when one purchaser buys more than 5% of single-family homes for sale over 3 years or when institutional investors account for more than 25% of purchases in a year.
- Market oversight and finance: Creates a Housing Monitoring and Enforcement Unit to collect and analyze rental and sale data, directs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to adopt standards to curb egregious rent increases in multifamily housing, and orders an antitrust review of residential market conduct by the Attorney General and FTC.
*Would authorize $1.0 million for FY2025 to support HUD's required investigation and market analysis.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 6 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Short-term ban on housing price gouging
If enacted, HUD would be able to declare a short "affordable housing crisis period." During that time, it would be illegal to rent a unit or sell a 1–4 unit home at an unconscionably excessive price that exploits the crisis. Each declaration could last up to 30 days, could be renewed, and could start up to one week before a foreseeable crisis. HUD would give advance notice, and the rule would apply across all States, DC, and U.S. territories. Sellers could defend price hikes that reflect real added costs or risks. States could sue but must notify HUD. Trades on a futures market would be excluded, and condos and co‑ops would not count as single‑family homes.
Penalty dollars to affordable housing fund
If enacted, any penalties HUD collects for price‑gouging cases would go into the federal Housing Trust Fund. Congress would need to approve use of this money. The fund would help add and preserve rental homes for extremely low‑ and very low‑income families, including homeless families.
New unit to monitor housing markets
If enacted, HUD would set up a unit to track rental and home‑sale markets. It would collect data, including by race, gender, and income, and sign data‑sharing deals with states and others. HUD would have to investigate if one buyer gets over 5% of single‑family homes for sale in a market over 3 years, or if big investors together buy over 25% in one year. A report to Congress would be due within 270 days. The bill authorizes $1 million for 2025 to start this work, and the information collection for these investigations would be exempt from the Paperwork Reduction Act.
Renter protections in federally backed apartments
If enacted, the Federal Housing Finance Agency would write rules for when federally backed buyers can purchase mortgages on apartment buildings. The rules would be made after public notice and a hearing. The goal would be to ensure basic renter protections and stop egregious rent hikes at properties tied to these purchases.
Study unfair tenant screening practices
If enacted, HUD, the FTC, and the CFPB would run a program to spot unfair tenant screening. They would study background checks, automated screening tools, adverse action notices, and how income sources are used. The agencies would send Congress a report each year on what they find.
Antitrust review of housing markets
If enacted, the Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission would review competition in rental and single‑family housing markets. They would look for anti‑competitive behavior, including harmful information sharing. A report to Congress would be due within one year of enactment.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Horsford
NV • D
Cosponsors
Titus
NV • D
Sponsored 5/6/2025
Lee (NV)
NV • D
Sponsored 5/6/2025
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 5/6/2025
Ansari
AZ • D
Sponsored 5/6/2025
Kelly (IL)
IL • D
Sponsored 5/6/2025
Scholten
MI • D
Sponsored 5/6/2025
Stansbury
NM • D
Sponsored 5/6/2025
Vasquez
NM • D
Sponsored 5/6/2025
Johnson (GA)
GA • D
Sponsored 5/6/2025
Castor (FL)
FL • D
Sponsored 9/11/2025
Soto
FL • D
Sponsored 1/9/2026
Craig
MN • D
Sponsored 1/12/2026
Pocan
WI • D
Sponsored 1/12/2026
Bell
MO • D
Sponsored 2/4/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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