# 119-hr-206: Landlord Accountability Act of 2025 119-hr-206, Landlord Accountability Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Velázquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7] (D-NY); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2025-12-20). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-206 - As of: 2025-12-20 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-hr-206 - Congress: 119 - Title: Landlord Accountability Act of 2025 - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2025-01-03 - Sponsor: Rep. Velázquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7] (D-NY) - Cosponsors: 1 - Policy area: Housing and Community Development - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2025-12-20 ## Summary **Would ban discrimination in rental housing based on a renter's source of income.** It adds housing vouchers, rental and homeownership subsidies, Social Security and disability benefits, spousal and child support, trusts, and savings to the Fair Housing Act's protected categories and pairs the ban with enforcement tools, civil penalties, tenant complaint channels, and a new landlord maintenance tax credit. - Families and tenants: Renters who use vouchers or receive Social Security, disability, or support payments would be protected from being refused housing for that reason, and tenants harmed by deliberate efforts to make a unit ineligible for HUD assistance could sue for damages, including $50,000 per violation plus actual costs. - Landlords and property owners: Qualifying landlords could claim a Low-Income Housing Maintenance Credit equal to eligible maintenance expenses, capped at $2,500 per low-income unit and $500,000 per taxpayer; eligibility requires remedying complaint issues within 30 days or having no complaints in the year. - HUD and enforcement: HUD must expand the Multifamily Housing Complaint Line, create a Complaint Resolution Program, publish landlord complaint records online, and would receive increased funding for fair housing enforcement, including $90 million and $47 million per year for two programs. *Authorizes federal funding for enforcement and outreach, including $90 million per year for the Fair Housing Initiatives Program and $47 million per year for the Fair Housing Assistance Program (both 2026–2035), $3 million per year for a national media campaign (2026–2028), grants of $25 million per year for tenant-harassment prevention (2024–2028), and creates a temporary tax credit for landlords through 2035.* ## Cosponsors (1) - Rep. Espaillat, Adriano [D-NY-13] (D-NY), 2025-04-21T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Tax credit for maintaining low-income rentals: benefit, high. Eligible landlords would be able to claim a business tax credit for low‑income housing maintenance expenses. The credit would be capped at the lowest of: the actual expenses; $2,500 per low‑income unit; $100,000 per eligible project; or $500,000 per taxpayer. To qualify, owners must have a project… - Faster help for HUD housing complaints: benefit, medium. HUD would have to set up a multifamily complaint resolution program within 12 months. It would take voucher-user complaints, check for likely violations, notify owners, try to resolve issues, and post complaint details online. HUD would add staff to the complaint line within 180 days to cut long wa… - More money for fair housing enforcement: benefit, medium. If enacted, Congress would authorize $90 million each year for 2026–2035 for the Fair Housing Initiatives Program and $47 million each year for 2026–2035 for the Fair Housing Assistance Program. It would also authorize $3 million each year for 2026–2028 for a national media campaign on fair housing… - Grants to stop tenant harassment: benefit, medium. HUD could give grants to states, tribes, local governments, and nonprofit housing groups to build or expand tenant harassment prevention programs. Grants could fund legal help, counseling, education, intervention, and complaint systems. Grants could cover up to 75% of costs. The bill authorizes $25… - No landlord bias by income source: benefit, medium. This bill would add “source of income” as a protected trait under fair housing rules. Landlords and others would not be allowed to deny, steer, or intimidate people because they use housing vouchers, Social Security or SSI, Railroad Retirement, child or spousal support, trust or family help, or sav… - Housing providers may prefer veterans: benefit, low. The bill would make clear that giving a preference to veterans in selling or renting homes, or in related services, is allowed under fair housing rules. - HUD rules and transition for enforcement: benefit, low. HUD would be allowed to issue any rules needed to carry out this Act. State and local agencies that were certified before enactment would stay certified for 40 months after enactment, with up to a 6‑month extension for exceptional cases. The bill would define key terms, like “multifamily housing pr… - Big fines for vacant or unfit units: mixed, high. If enacted, owners who intentionally make a unit fail HUD standards to avoid assistance could face a $100,000 civil penalty per action after notice and a hearing. Tenants who lived there at the time could sue for $50,000 per action plus actual damages and moving costs. Owners who leave eligible uni… ## Related bills - 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026 - 119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act - 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act - 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act - 119-hr-5658: Child Care for Every Community Act - 119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act ## Sources - [119-hr-206 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/206) ## Related - [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877) - [119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6644) - [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977) - [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973) - [119-hr-5658: Child Care for Every Community Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5658) - [119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3971) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-206 (as of 2025-12-20).