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  • Comment Detail

  • Date: 07/20/23
    First Name: Manaeha
    Last Name: Rao
    Email: raomanae@gmail.com
    Organization Type: other
    Organization: Not Me We

  • Comment

    My name is Manaeha and I am a tenant living in Chicago. I am a member of the Homes Guarantee Campaign.

    My rent was hiked by $500 progressively over the last three years, which really impacted my finances. It didn't make sense I was staying at the same place with the same background and same things and the rent continued to increase, making it hard on me and my roommate.

    The rent is too damn high. The Federal Housing Finance Agency should protect tenants by limiting annual rent hikes to 1.5 times the Consumer Price Index or 3%, whichever is lower, in properties with federally backed mortgages. These limits should be applied universally as a requirement to all federally backed mortgage programs.

    In addition to limits on rent hikes, the FHFA should prohibit evictions without good cause, ban source of income discrimination, enforce and expand existing protections against discrimination, require safe and accessible housing conditions, create a landlord registry, require fair and standardized leases, ensure tenants have the right to organize, and create an Office of Tenant Protections to enforce these rights in all properties with federally backed mortgages.

    Sincerely,
    Manaeha