End Junk Fees for Renters Act
Sponsored By: Representative Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10]
In Committee
Summary
Bans and limits on rental "junk fees" for federally linked housing. This bill would bar many common upfront and surprise charges, cap late fees, and force clearer fee and condition disclosures for units tied to federal backing.
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- Renters: Cuts move-in costs by banning application fees and tenant-screening charges for households applying to HUD-assisted units or units with federally backed mortgages. It also limits late fees to under 3 percent of monthly rent and allows them only after 15 days past due.
- Owners: Requires owners to disclose before lease signing the total monthly amount due including fees, a practicable summary of past litigation with tenants, ongoing pest and maintenance issues, and rent increases over the prior 10 years.
- Regulators and credit reporting: Applies to owners of HUD-assisted properties and properties with federally backed single-family or multifamily mortgage loans and relies on agencies like HUD, VA, USDA, and the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Those agencies must define "junk fee" by rule within 180 days and may treat reporting a junk-fee debt to consumer reporting agencies as an unfair debt-collection practice under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Define junk fees and bar credit reporting
If enacted, two federal agencies would have 180 days to write a rule that defines "junk fee" for rental housing. The rule would make sending unpaid junk fees to credit bureaus an unfair debt collection practice under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
Limits on late fees and new disclosures
If enacted, landlords of covered units could charge late rent fees only after 15 days late. The fee would have to be less than 3% of your monthly rent. Landlords would have to show the total monthly cost before you sign. They would also have to give a summary of past tenant lawsuits, ongoing pest and maintenance issues, and rent increases for the last 10 years.
Which homes and agencies are covered
If enacted, the bill would define which dwellings are "covered." That includes HUD-assisted units and units tied to many federally backed mortgages like FHA, VA, USDA, and loans bought or securitized by Fannie or Freddie. It would also define who counts as an owner and say which federal agency enforces the rules for each type of covered unit.
Ban on application and screening fees
If enacted, owners of covered dwelling units could not charge any fee to apply to rent. They also could not charge for background checks, criminal history checks, tenant screening, or consumer reports for applicants.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Frost, Maxwell [D-FL-10]
FL • D
Cosponsors
Gomez
CA • D
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28]
CA • D
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Rep. Casar, Greg [D-TX-35]
TX • D
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Khanna
CA • D
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Schakowsky
IL • D
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12]
PA • D
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12]
MI • D
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Ocasio-Cortez
NY • D
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10]
NY • D
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2]
WI • D
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Rep. Garcia, Robert [D-CA-42]
CA • D
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5]
MN • D
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10]
NJ • D
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Mullin
CA • D
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7]
WA • D
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36]
CA • D
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12]
NJ • D
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9]
NY • D
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Rep. Balint, Becca [D-VT-At Large]
VT • D
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3]
IL • D
Sponsored 6/24/2025
Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3]
AZ • D
Sponsored 7/22/2025
Rep. Deluzio, Christopher R. [D-PA-17]
PA • D
Sponsored 8/12/2025
Rep. Larson, John B. [D-CT-1]
CT • D
Sponsored 3/16/2026
Jackson (IL)
IL • D
Sponsored 4/14/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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