Overview
- House drafters revised the bipartisan housing bill to mirror the Senate’s ban on institutional buyers of single-family homes, removing only the seven-year forced-sale mandate for build-to-rent projects.
- Build-to-rent refers to investors constructing homes to lease rather than sell, and builders argued a forced sell-off would choke financing and reduce new supply the bill is meant to boost.
- Industry groups including the National Association of Home Builders and the National Multifamily Housing Council praised keeping build-to-rent intact, saying more projects can proceed without a sell clock.
- The White House and Senate aides warned that broader House edits could unravel the 60-vote Senate coalition, but the latest update narrows differences to the sell-off rule and some labor provisions.
- President Trump said he is optimistic Congress will send him a deal and said he will review the House changes, as House leaders push a fast vote that requires a two-thirds majority before the bill returns to the Senate.