HR 206 · 119th CongressIn Committee

Landlord Accountability Act of 2025

Latest updateJan 3, 2025

Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Housing and Community Development

Sponsor

Nydia Velázquez

Introduced

January 3, 2025

Latest action

January 3, 2025

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Introduced

Bill filed in chamber

Committee

Reviewed & reported

Passed Chamber

House or Senate vote

Passed Both

House & Senate agree

President

Sent to White House

Enacted

Signed into law

Latest Action

Plain-Language Summary

AI Generated

Under current fair housing law, the Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, and familial status. However, the law does not explicitly protect people based on their source of income—including those using Section 8 rental vouchers, Social Security benefits, child support, or other government assistance. This gap means landlords can legally refuse to rent to voucher holders or people receiving public benefits, even though such refusals effectively exclude low-income families from housing markets. Additionally, some landlords intentionally neglect properties or leave units vacant to discourage voucher users, and complaint mechanisms for renters in federally assisted housing projects remain underfunded and slow.

The Landlord Accountability Act amends the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination based on source of income, explicitly including Section 8 vouchers, Social Security, supplemental security income, child support, and other government or nonprofit assistance. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) must add "source of income" as a protected class across all relevant Fair Housing Act sections. The bill also establishes two new civil penalties: owners who intentionally degrade units to disqualify them from federal housing programs face $100,000 penalties per violation plus tenant damages; owners who intentionally leave multifamily units vacant for more than 60 days face $100,000 penalties per 30-day period. Additionally, HUD must establish a Multifamily Housing Complaint Resolution Program to receive and mediate complaints from voucher users and local officials, with results publicly disclosed online and reported annually to Congress.

Implementation begins immediately upon enactment, with HUD required to increase staffing for its complaint hotline within 180 days and issue complaint program regulations within 12 months. The bill authorizes $90 million annually through 2035 for the Fair Housing Initiatives Program, $47 million annually for the Fair Housing Assistance Program, and $3 million annually through 2028 for a public awareness campaign. A new tax credit—the Low-Income Housing Maintenance Credit—offers eligible landlords up to $2,500 per unit (capped at $500,000 annually) for maintenance expenses on projects with voucher tenants, provided they resolve complaints within 30 days or receive none. The credit expires after 2035. These provisions create financial incentives for landlord compliance while establishing enforcement mechanisms and complaint infrastructure that did not previously exist.

Key Provisions

1Prohibit landlords from refusing to rent to tenants based on source of income, including Section 8 vouchers, Social Security, child support, and other government or nonprofit assistance, by amending the Fair Housing Act to add source of income as a protected class.
2Impose civil money penalties of $100,000 per violation on owners who intentionally degrade or leave vacant multifamily units to disqualify them from federal housing assistance programs, with additional liability for tenant damages.
3Establish a Multifamily Housing Complaint Resolution Program within the Department of Housing and Urban Development to receive, investigate, and mediate complaints from voucher users and local officials regarding multifamily housing projects.
4Require the Department of Housing and Urban Development to publicly disclose complaint information online on a timely basis and submit annual reports to Congress summarizing complaints and their disposition.
5Create a Low-Income Housing Maintenance Tax Credit allowing eligible landlords up to $2,500 per unit (maximum $500,000 annually) for maintenance expenses on projects with voucher tenants, conditioned on resolving complaints within 30 days or receiving none.

★ Why this matters

Landlords will no longer be able to refuse tenants based on receipt of housing vouchers or public benefits, expanding rental options for low-income families. Owners who intentionally degrade properties or leave units vacant to discourage voucher users now face substantial financial penalties and tenant lawsuits. Complaint resolution processes become faster and more transparent, with public disclosure of landlord violations and annual congressional reporting. Tax incentives reward landlords who maintain properties and resolve tenant complaints promptly, potentially improving housing quality in voucher-accepting buildings.

● Who this affects

Section 8 voucher holders and families receiving Social Security, supplemental security income, child support, or other government assistance seeking rental housing; tenants in multifamily housing projects participating in federal assistance programs; landlords and property owners of multifamily housing with five or more units accepting voucher tenants; the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which gains enforcement authority and must expand complaint-handling staff; state and local housing agencies responsible for fair housing enforcement; and local government officials who can now file complaints on behalf of constituents.

Bill Text

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<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 206

 To amend the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination based on use 
             of section 8 vouchers, and for other purposes.

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 3, 2025

Ms. Velazquez introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committees on 
  Ways and Means, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

                                 A BILL

 
 To amend the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination based on use 
             of section 8 vouchers, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Landlord Accountability Act of 
2025''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITING HOUSING DISCRIMINATION BASED ON SOURCE OF INCOME.

    (a) In General.--The Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.) is 
amended--
            (1) in section 802 (42 U.S.C. 3602), by adding at the end 
        the following:
    ``(p) `Source of income' includes--
            ``(1) current and future use of a tenant- or project-based 
        housing voucher under section 8 of the United States Housing 
        Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f) and any form of Federal, State, 
        or local housing assistance provided to a person or family or 
        provided to a housing owner on behalf of a person or family, 
        including rental vouchers, rental assistance, down payment 
        assistance, other homeownership assistance, assistance to cover 
        housing costs, and other rental and homeownership subsidies, or 
        guarantees or financial assistance provided through government 
        and nongovernment organizations, including both receipt of such 
        assistance and compliance with its terms thereof;
            ``(2) income received as a monthly benefit under title II 
        of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 401 et seq.), as a 
        supplemental security income benefit under title XVI of the 
        Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1381 et seq.), or as a benefit 
        under the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 (45 U.S.C. 231 et 
        seq.) or income provided through Federal, State, or local 
        governments or nongovernment organizations, or through any 
        public or State-supported general or disability income 
        assistance program or the terms of such income;
            ``(3) income received by court order, including spousal 
        support and child support;
            ``(4) any payment from a trust, guardian, conservator, co-
        signer, or relative; and
            ``(5) any other source of income or funds, including 
       …

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Alma Adams

D-North Carolina · District 12

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