The National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) has launched the Foundations for Rental Housing, a new effort to support residents as they build their lives in rental communities. The initiative is supported by 100 multifamily organizations representing 3,762,482 apartment homes nationwide.
According to NMHC, the Foundations identify six core concepts that form the basis of a positive relationship between rental housing providers and residents and were developed with input from members of NMHC, rental housing operations experts, and focus groups of renters and homeowners across the country.
The Foundations supporters have signed on to the outlined principles below:
- Engage with residents to foster an atmosphere of mutual respect, trust, and communication.
- Have procedures in place to respond to resident requests.
- Comply with all applicable anti-discrimination, fair housing, and fair credit laws.
- Support residents who express an interest in enhancing their credit through rent payment reporting.
- Respond to requests from residents facing financial hardship who are seeking external resources.
- Rights and responsibilities of lease holders and housing providers will be contained in the lease documents.
As each housing provider is encouraged to implement these principles, NMHC will continue to work with rental housing providers across the country to expand the adoption of these Foundations by additional multifamily firms.
“NMHC is delighted to partner with the White House in meeting the goals of the White House’s Resident-Centered Housing Challenge. The Foundations for Rental Housing underscore how housing providers support their residents by creating homes where they can feel valued and build their lives,” says Sharon Wilson Géno, NMHC’s president.
“We see the Foundations as the basis for building positive relationships in the rental housing communities; however, many NMHC members are already going above and beyond these principles to support their residents.”
In addition to the initiative, NMHC has developed and launched a new Housing Help Hub webpage that includes resources for renters and rental housing providers to support building positive rental housing relationships and assist renters in financial distress. Both initiatives were developed to meet NMHC’s commitment to the administration’s Resident-Centered Housing Challenge announced in January.