Comment Detail

Comment

Thank you for the opportunity to comment of FHFA Tenant Protections. We need these protections now. Five years ago I found myself leaving domestic violence and living out of my car. When I was finally able to afford an apartment I felt I had finally found peace for my family. We moved into the best available unit within our town. It was infested with black mold, had holes in the carpet with nails sticking up, and a hole in the under-sink cabinet that mice would come through. I fought for my family in every way possible, but was completely let down by the rental market. I was experiencing enough trauma that I struggled to stay on top of every violation my landlord was committing.

I have witnessed how landlords can manipulate the system and leave renters struggling for sanitary conditions and with the resulting health conditions. To help ensure greater housing stability, FHFA should create new renter protections for households living in properties with federally backed mortgages, including:
1. Source of income protections to prohibit landlords from discriminating against households
receiving rental housing assistance such as Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, or Supplemental
Security Income (SSI), or local rental assistance, so that families can have greater choice about
where to live.
2. “Just cause” eviction standards, which limit the causes for which a landlord can evict a tenant or
refuse to renew a tenant’s lease when the tenant is not at fault or in violation of any law.
3. Rent gouging protections to stop landlords from dramatically and unreasonably raising rents.
4. Requirements to ensure housing is safe, decent, accessible, and healthy for renters and their
families.
Thank you for taking the time to review my comments.