WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) and National Apartment Association (NAA) have sent a letter to the White House requesting a review of 32 federal programs, rules and regulations at 10 different agencies.
NMHC and NAA stated that some existing regulations stray from their intended purposes, stifling innovation and hampering housing production. The purpose of the proposed review would be to increase housing supply, lower costs and improve housing affordability.
“This past autumn, voters across the country made clear that lowering the cost of housing was a top priority for candidates up and down the ballot,” said NMHC President Sharon Wilson Géno. “Elected officials in both parties and at all levels of government understand that action needs to be taken to deal with the housing affordability challenges facing the nation. Regulatory reform is one step the administration can take to immediately support the building of badly needed housing and making it more affordable.”
Data from economists at MetroSight — a San Francisco-based researcher with a focus on urban, labor, housing and real-estate economics — indicates that overregulation negatively impacts rental housing affordability by increasing operating costs and discouraging new construction. The study released in February 2025 and was sponsored by NMHC and NAA.
Additionally, research from NMHC and the National Association of Home Builders found that regulation imposed by all levels of government accounts for an average of 40.6 percent of multifamily development costs.
“NAA members have made it clear: less regulation opens the door to providing more housing. Reviewing these federal compliance burdens would be a solid first step towards allowing the private sector to build and operate without the financial and administrative costs of overregulation,” said NAA President and CEO Robert Pinnegar.