H.R. 8903

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8903 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8903

To require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish 
a renter outreach resource, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 19, 2026

Ms. Pressley introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish 
a renter outreach resource, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Renter Resource Center Act''.

SEC. 2. RENTER OUTREACH RESOURCE ESTABLISHED.

(a) In General.--The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 
shall, not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, establish a renter outreach resource that consists of a toll-free 
telephone number and a public website designed to assist renters of 
residential properties owned by a covered large institutional investor 
in--
(1) notifying Federal agencies about disputes relating to 
the rental of such properties, including--
(A) disputes about potential violations of Federal 
law;
(B) disputes about potential violations of State 
law; and
(C) other disputed renter matters;
(2) sharing information about such disputes with other 
Federal agencies, including other Federal agencies that manage 
similar disputes;
(3) monitoring such disputes; and
(4) resolving such disputes, to the extent practicable.
(b) Response to Outreach.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish reasonable 
procedures to--
(A) promptly respond, in writing where appropriate, 
to a renter who provides information to the Secretary 
about a dispute using the renter outreach resource 
established under subsection (a); and
(B) document such responses.
(2) Contents.--Responses provided under paragraph (1) shall 
include, where appropriate, information about--
(A) steps that have been taken by the Secretary or 
another Federal agency in response to the information 
about the dispute provided by the renter, including 
determining the appropriate covered large institutional 
investor involved as described in subsection (c);
(B) any responses received by the Secretary or 
another Federal agency from the covered large 
institutional investor related to such dispute; and
(C) any outcome of the dispute, to the extent 
practicable.
(c) Investigation of Potential Violations of Federal Law.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall promptly process and 
investigate any information relating to a dispute received 
through the renter outreach resource established under 
subsection (a) about a potential violation of Federal law that 
is received from a renter of a residential property owned by a 
covered large institutional investor through the renter 
outreach resource established under subsection (a), including 
by sharing information about such potential violation of 
Federal law with any relevant Federal agencies, as the 
Secretary may determine appropriate, and by determining the 
appropriate covered large institutional investor involved as 
needed.
(2) Responses to requests for information.--A covered large 
institutional investor may respond to any request for 
information made pursuant to paragraph (1) and may include in 
such response whether such covered large institutional investor 
owns the property described in such request for information.
(d) Information for Appropriate State Authority.--When the 
Secretary receives information about a potential violation of State law 
or about a dispute received through the renter outreach resource, from 
a renter of a residential property owned by a covered large 
institutional investor through the renter outreach resource established 
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall, at a minimum, provide the 
renter with contact information for the appropriate, State-specific, 
State authority authorized to process and investigate such information.
(e) Notice About Renter Outreach Resource.--Each covered large 
institutional investor shall--
(1) provide to each renter of a residential property owned 
by such investor at the time such renter first occupies such 
home and annually thereafter--
(A) written notice about the renter outreach 
resource established under subsection (a); and
(B) the name, phone number, and email address of 
the person or entity responsible for receiving and 
addressing renter disputes for the covered large 
institutional investor, and update the name, phone 
number, and email address within 30 days if such 
information changes prior to the subsequent time at 
which such notice is required to be provided; and
(2) prominently feature information about the renter 
outreach resource established under subsection (a) on a public 
website of such investor that is accessible by such renter.
(f) Annual Report to the Congress.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall, not later than March 
31 of each year, submit to the Congress a public report which 
analyzes and aggregates the information received or obtained 
pursuant to this Act during the prior year that includes--
(A) information about the types and the number of 
disputes received about potential violations of Federal 
law;
(B) information about the types and the number of 
disputes received about potential violations of State 
law;
(C) information about the types and the number of 
disputes received about other disputed renter matters;
(D) where practicable, information about the 
resolution of such disputes; and
(E) information provided to the Secretary of 
Housing and Urban Development under subsection (h).
(2) Anonymization of data.--Any data included in a report 
that is submitted under this paragraph shall be aggregated or 
anonymized so as to protect any individual dispute or 
personally identifiable information received through the renter 
outreach resource.
(g) Protection of Personal Information.--In complying with the 
requirements of this Act, the Secretary shall take such measures as the 
Secretary determines are necessary to provide for the protection of 
personally identifiable information received through the renter 
outreach resource in a manner that conforms with existing standards for 
protection of the confidentiality of personally identifiable 
information.
(h) Annual Notification.--An owner of a residential property owned 
by a covered large institutional investor, as such term is defined in 
subsection (i) shall, beginning in calendar year 2026--
(1) notify the Secretary each year, before December 31st 
whether such owner remains a covered large institutional 
investor as defined in subsection (i); and
(2) in such notification, identify how many covered single-
family homes such covered large institutional investor has 
direct or indirect investment control of as of the date of the 
submission of such notice, and the city and State where each 
such covered single-family home is located, unless such covered 
large institutional investor owns 10 or fewer covered single-
family homes in such city.
(i) Definitions.--In this section:
(2) Covered large institutional investor.--
(A) In general.--The term ``covered large 
institutional investor''--
(i) means an investment fund, corporation, 
general or limited partnership, limited 
liability company, joint venture, association, 
or other for-profit entity that is a legal 
entity structured in a manner that is not 
aforementioned that--
(I) is engaged, in whole or in 
part, in the business of investing in, 
owning, renting, or holding covered 
single-family homes; and
(II) alone or in concert with 1 or 
more other entities, beginning after 
the date of enactment of this Act, has 
direct or indirect investment control 
of not less than 350 covered single-
family homes in the aggregate, not 
including any covered single-family 
home purchased in an excepted purchase 
made after the date of enactment of 
this Act; and
(ii) does not include--
(I) any local, State, Tribal, or 
Federal Government entity or 
instrumentality thereof;
(II) a nonprofit organization 
described in section 501(c)(3) of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that is 
exempt from taxation under section 
501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code; or
(III) a community land trust as 
such term is defined in section 104 of 
the Cranston-Gonzalez National 
Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 
12704), as amended by this Act.
(B) Investment control.--
(i) In general.--For purposes of this 
paragraph, an entity has direct or indirect 
investment control over a covered single-family 
home if the entity--
(I) owns, or has primary authority 
or fiduciary responsibility to make 
material investment or management 
decisions relating to the covered 
single-family home;
(II) is or directly or indirectly 
controls, the general partner or 
managing member of the entity that owns 
the covered single-family home;
(III) is or controls the investment 
manager, management company, or 
investment advisor of the entity that 
owns the covered single-family home;
(IV) owns or controls more than 25 
percent of any class of equity 
interests of the entity that owns the 
covered single-family home, unless such 
entity is a passive investor; or
(V) otherwise controls the entity 
that owns the covered single-family 
home.
(ii) Passive investment.--For purposes of 
this paragraph, an entity shall be considered a 
passive investor if such entity does not 
satisfy subclauses (I), (II), and (III) of 
clause (i).
(C) Rule of construction.--
(i) In general.--Nothing in this Act shall 
be construed to establish that an entity has 
direct or indirect investment control over a 
covered single-family home solely by virtue 
of--
(I) such entity's entry into, or 
performance under, a third-party 
contract for the property management of 
a covered single-family home, including 
tasks related to maintenance of the 
home and the selection of tenants, 
provided that such entity does not have 
direct or indirect investment control 
over such a covered single-family home; 
or
(II) owning a fractional interest 
of a covered large institutional 
investor.
(3) Covered single-family home.--The term ``covered single-
family home''--
(A) means a property that contains 2 or fewer 
dwelling units that are each intended for residential 
occupancy by a single household; and
(B) does not include--
(i) a manufactured home, as defined in 
section 603 of the National Manufactured 
Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act 
of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5402);
(ii) a property that, when occupied, has 
always been occupied by a renter;
(iii) a property that, when occupied, is 
rented to a member of a regular component of 
the Armed Forces or a member of the National 
Guard on full-time National Guard duty, active 
Guard and Reserve duty, or inactive-duty 
training (as those terms are defined in section 
101 of title 10, United States Code) who has 
received--
(I) temporary duty orders to deploy 
with a military unit or military orders 
to deploy as an individual acting in 
support of a military operation for a 
period of not less than 90 days; or
(II) orders for a permanent change 
of station;
(iv) a property owned by its owner for less 
than 365 days, other than a covered single-
family home purchased pursuant to paragraph 
(4)(F);
(v) a property that is made up of multiple 
rental homes or units constructed on a single 
parcel of property that cannot legally be sold 
as individual homes or units without further 
subdividing the property;
(vi) a property that is actively under a 
first-look period for owner-occupants or HUD-
approved affordable housing nonprofits for a 
period of not less than 30 days; or
(vii) a property that is designed and 
intended to be occupied or leased by the 
bedroom or in which individual bedrooms are 
intended for occupancy by separate, unrelated 
persons under separate lease or occupancy 
agreements.
(4) Excepted purchase.--The term ``excepted purchase'' 
means any purchase of a covered single-family home that is--
(A) or will be newly constructed, renovated for 
sale, or a rental conversion for sale by an owner and 
not as a residence rented pending sale;
(B) pursuant to a build-to-rent program where an 
owner purchases, constructs, or constructs and retains 
a newly constructed covered single-family home to be 
managed as a rental property, whether as part of a 
community made up exclusively of renter-occupied 
single-family homes or as part of a community made up 
of single-family homes that are both owner- and renter-
occupied;
(C) pursuant to a renovate-to-rent program that 
substantially rehabilitates a covered single-family 
home that does not meet--
(i) structural or core system elements of 
local building codes; or
(ii) minimum property standards required 
for conventional mortgage financing;
(D) pursuant to a home-ownership program that--
(i) requires rental payments and any other 
fees that are not greater than those collected 
by the covered large institutional investor on 
other similarly situated covered single-family 
homes not covered by the eligible home-
ownership program;
(ii) provides for positive reporting of 
rental payments to consumer reporting agencies 
for any renter, who shall be informed of and 
opts into such reporting;
(iii) provides for a right of first refusal 
and a 60-day first-look period for the current 
renter in instances where the covered single-
family home is offered for sale to another 
owner; and
(iv) requires contribution of meaningful 
financial support from the covered large 
institutional investor, including price 
concessions, for the purchase of a covered 
single-family home by the renter, whether for 
the home the renter is occupying or another 
home;
(E) in connection with the satisfaction of debts 
previously contracted in good faith and where the owner 
has the right to repossess the covered single-family 
home under such contract;
(F) undertaken by a mortgage servicer, lender, or 
other entity that has a legal right to purchase or 
otherwise acquire a covered single-family home, for the 
purpose of loss mitigation or compliance with servicing 
or investor obligations, and not as a long-term 
investment strategy, and is solely as a result of--
(i) a foreclosure;
(ii) a deed in lieu of foreclosure;
(iii) enforcement of a mortgage, deed of 
trust, or other security interest; or
(iv) operation of law following borrower 
default,
provided that for federally backed mortgage loans as 
defined in section 4022(a) of the CARES Act (15 U.S.C. 
9056(a)), including such loans that are sold to a third 
party, when the foreclosed property purchased under 
this provision is offered for sale, the mortgage 
servicer, lender, or other entity provides a 30-day 
first-look period to an owner-occupant or to an 
affordable housing nonprofit approved by the relevant 
Federal agency;
(G) purchased from a covered large institutional 
investor that either owned the covered single-family 
home on the date of enactment of this Act or purchased 
the covered single-family home through an exempted 
purchase;
(H) intended and operated for occupancy as part of 
a community for households with 1 or more members aged 
55 years or older, and to the extent required by law, 
satisfies visitability standards established by the 
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;
(I) intended to and will be after the purchase 
operated as a facility--
(i) used to provide residential care to 
individuals with disabilities (as such term is 
defined in section 3 of the Americans with 
Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102)) or 
developmental disabilities (as such term is 
defined in section 102 of the Developmental 
Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act 
of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 15002)); and
(ii) that connects such individuals with 
community-based services that are approved by 
Medicaid or Medicare;
(J) acquired as a part of a community of 5 or more 
contiguous rental units;
(K) planned, permitted, financed, and constructed 
as a part of a single unified rental community on a 
single platted parcel, where a owner or an affiliate 
thereof owns or controls the land and manages the 
community as a single rental facility, and the 
individual structures within the community are not 
offered or intended for individual sale to separate 
purchasers;
(L) purchased with support from any program 
described in section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986, or any other affordable housing program in which 
the rent of supported units is restricted; or
(M) executed through a combination or series of 
purchases described in subparagraphs (A) through (L).
(5) First-look period.--The term ``first-look period'' 
means the specified period of time commencing on the first day 
on which a property is made available for sale during which it 
is exclusively made available for purchase only to the entities 
specified.
(6) Purchase.--The term ``purchase'' includes any purchase, 
transfer, or other acquisition of a covered single-family home, 
including through mergers, acquisitions, foreclosures, or bulk 
purchases, whether or not for cash consideration.
(7) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
of Housing and Urban Development.
(8) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the 50 several 
States of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
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