Your Voice Matters: Multifamily Advocacy for Rental Housing Professionals
Your Voice, Your Business, Your Future: Why Multifamily Advocacy Matters
How rental housing professionals are shaping policy—and why you should be part of the conversation
If you own or manage apartments, you already know the challenges: rising costs, complex regulations, shifting tax codes, and local ordinances that change faster than you can keep up. But here's something you might not realize: you have more power to influence these issues than you think.
The truth is simple but powerful: if you're in rental housing, you're in the policy business too. Every decision made in city hall, the state capitol, or Washington D.C. touches your operations—from property taxes and building codes to tenant-landlord laws and financing options. And when rental housing professionals like you speak up, policymakers listen.
The Real Impact of Advocacy: Recent Wins That Protect Your Business
Political advocacy isn't abstract—it delivers tangible results that directly affect your bottom line and your ability to serve residents. Here's proof:
Tax & Financial Wins
- Preserved critical tax cuts including reduced individual income tax rates and the 20% qualified business income deduction that many multifamily operators rely on
- Permanently increased Low Income Housing Tax Credits to expand affordable housing supply
- Expanded Opportunity Zones to encourage investment in underserved communities
Regulatory Relief
- FHFA rescinded duplicative requirements that would have imposed new federally-mandated landlord-tenant rules on properties financed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
- FCC withdrew bulk billing ban, preserving residents' access to high-quality, affordable internet through bulk arrangements
- DOE efficiency standards postponed for appliances like A/C units, washers, dryers, and water heaters—giving the industry time to adapt without immediate cost spikes
- HUD terminated burdensome rules including the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule and withdrew a proposed rule on criminal screening that would have limited operator flexibility
These victories didn't happen by accident. They happened because rental housing professionals—people just like you—raised their voices, shared their expertise, and helped lawmakers understand the real-world consequences of proposed policies.
Why Your Voice Matters More Than You Think
You might be thinking, "I'm just one operator in Lubbock, Texas. How much difference can I really make?"
The answer: a significant one.
Policymakers need to hear from real people running real businesses. When you share how a proposed regulation would affect your properties, your staff, and your residents, you provide something legislators can't get anywhere else: ground-level expertise.
Here's what advocacy achieves:
Protection: Push back against harmful policies before they become law. Whether it's overly restrictive rent control proposals, burdensome inspection requirements, or unfunded mandates, your input helps stop bad ideas in their tracks.
Opportunity: Advance smart legislation that creates a healthier business environment. From tax incentives that encourage property improvements to streamlined permitting processes, good policy makes it easier to provide quality housing.
Education: Help lawmakers understand how their choices impact housing supply, affordability, and the people who call your communities home. Most policymakers genuinely want to do the right thing—they just need accurate information.
The Work Continues: Current Priorities Where You Can Make a Difference
Right now, advocacy efforts are focused on several critical issues:
- National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Extension: Preventing a lapse in coverage that protects properties and residents
- Balanced AI Regulation: Working toward a sensible federal framework to avoid a patchwork of conflicting state rules
- Housing Supply Solutions: Supporting the Identifying Regulatory Barriers to Housing Supply (IRBHS) Act to reduce unnecessary regulations that slow down development
- HOME Program Rule Delay: Successfully delayed HUD's problematic "good cause" termination limitations until October 2025, giving the industry more time to address concerns
Each of these issues affects the multifamily industry differently, but they all share one thing: the outcome depends on whether decision-makers hear from people like you.
Getting Started Is Easier Than You Think
You don't need to be a policy expert or spend hours each week to make an impact. Effective advocacy can be as simple as:
✅ Signing up for action alerts so you know when your voice is needed most
✅ Sending a quick email to your representatives (often with pre-written templates you can personalize)
✅ Sharing your real-world experience about how specific policies affect your operations
✅ Contributing to your local PAC to support candidates who understand rental housing issues
✅ Attending an occasional meeting with local officials to build relationships
The key is consistency, not perfection. Even small actions, multiplied across thousands of rental housing professionals, create unstoppable momentum.
Your Next Steps: Join the Movement
Ready to add your voice to the conversation? Here's how to get started today:
1. Sign Up for Action Alerts
This is the easiest and most impactful first step. When urgent issues arise, you'll receive simple instructions on how to contact your representatives.
2. Review Current Federal Priorities
Stay informed about the specific issues being tracked and advocated for on your behalf.
3. Explore Recent Advocacy Wins
Need more proof that advocacy works? Check out the growing list of victories.
4. Learn Effective Advocacy Techniques
Want to sharpen your skills? Access resources on grassroots advocacy and meeting with policymakers.
👉 Learn How to Advocate Effectively
5. Support Your Local PAC
Political Action Committees pool resources to support candidates who champion rental housing. Even modest contributions make a real difference in local, state, and federal races.
The Bottom Line
Public policy shapes every aspect of your business—from tax obligations and financing options to the regulations you navigate daily. You can choose to sit on the sidelines and hope for the best, or you can step up and help shape the rules of the game.
The rental housing industry needs your perspective. Whether you manage a handful of units or oversee a large portfolio, whether you're in Lubbock, Texas or anywhere else across the country, your experience matters. Your insights are valuable. Your voice carries weight.
When multifamily professionals stand together and speak up, we don't just protect our businesses—we create better outcomes for the millions of people who call apartments home.
The question isn't whether advocacy matters. It's whether you'll be part of making it happen.
Ready to make your voice heard? Start today by signing up for action alerts and join thousands of rental housing professionals who are shaping the future of our industry.