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My name is Tenn and I am a tenant living in Tucson, AZ. I am a member of the Homes Guarantee Campaign.

Last year, my rent increased from 900$ to 1400$ per month for no other reason except that landlords collude to squeeze workers. I barely make enough money to cover my bills. I work two jobs and am a single parent to a severely disabled young person. There ought to be protections for tenants so we can continue contributing to our economy and have money for food and a home. With inflation and bills, at this rate, I'll be forced into homelessness if my rent is raised again and there's nothing to stop the greed of landlords

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,

Tenn