PTAA Can Really #Advocate in DC

We're always proud to see how well members of PTAA represent the needs and concerns of the multifamily industry here in the Piedmont Triad at the national level.

Last week, March 8-9 several members of PTAA traveled to Washington DC or joined meetings remotely to ensure that our local voices were heard on the national level about several key issues. Susan Passmore of Blue Ridge Companies provided excellent leadership as the NC Regional Vice President of NAA's Region 4 - which represents GA, NC, SC, TN, and KY.

We're thankful for all of the members from across multiple roles in the industry who represented us so well last week. Representatives from Apartment Dynamics, Bell Partners, Inc., Blue Ridge Companies, BSC Holdings, Impact Property Solutions, Phillips Management Group, TREBIC, and of course our own PTAA staff were there to represent the Piedmont Triad. Several other members with footprints across NC participated, including BG Multifamily, Brownlee Whitlow & Praet, Drucker & Falk, Full House Marketing, GEM Management, Ginkgo Residential, Hawthorne Residential Partners, Loebsack & Brownlee, SL Nusbaum Realty, Southwood Realty, and THS National.

There were three primary topics covered, and here is a quick overview:

30-Day Notice to Vacate:
The CARES Act imposition of a notice requirement over and above what state law requires is another layer of challenges facing rental housing providers during the pandemic. There needs to be a clear sunset date for this provision to be codified into law, as this was intended to be temporary protection.

Housing Affordability
Section 8 Reform: S. 1820, the “Choice in Affordable Housing Act” is legislation that will streamline the program to enable more owners and operators to provide more homes to individuals who qualify for vouchers.

• Empowers PHAs to offer incentive payments for housing providers that operate in areas of opportunity and for new participants.
• Creates security deposit assistance to cover repairs and damages and help participants manage their risk better.
• Provides administrative fee bonuses for PHAs to hire “landlord liaisons” who serve as a dedicated resource for program participants.
• Establishes inspection reciprocity so that owners and operators who are already subject to other federal inspection protocols satisfy HCV requirements.
• Expedites the inspection process so that a new participating housing provider could request an inspection of a unit(s) now to enable the leasing of that unit to a voucher holder in the future.
• Requires that Small Area Fair Market Rent (SAFMR) jurisdictions use proper methodologies to calculate the SAFMR to ensure payments are accurate and align with market rates.
• Encourages voluntary participation in the program, as Congress intended.

Yes, In My Backyard Act (H.R. 3198 and S. 1614) encourages government entities to eliminate barriers to housing development.Yes, In My Backyard Act (H.R. 3198 and S. 1614) encourages government entities to eliminate barriers to housing development.

The Yes in My Backyard (YIMBY) Act helps eliminate barriers to housing development by encouraging jurisdictions to:
 Identify and reduce exclusionary land-use policies.
 Promote thoughtful zoning and development strategies; and
 Periodically report on their efforts to encourage greater housing development.