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As housing prices soar, the Biden administration says it is taking significant steps to protect tenants and make rental prices more affordable. Laura Tach, professor of housing policy at Cornell University, says that while the announcement is significant, the actions are unlikely to change much given the lack in legal authority, funding, and awareness of tenant rights. If you’d like to connect with Professor Tach about this development, please contact her directly at (607) 254-5282 or lmt88@cornell.edu. “It is significant that the administration is paying attention to tenant protections – it’s been on the agenda in certain states, like New York, for years, but has not received much attention at the federal level until now, outside of the major pandemic-era emergency measures. “But these federal actions are unlikely to change much given that the administration has little legal authority over this area – most control is at the local and state levels. It does not seem that they are tying these actions to federal funding, which means states and localities have little financial incentive to make changes. “One thing we have seen in states that have instituted new tenant protection laws is that many landlords and tenants still remain unaware of the expanded tenant rights and greater restrictions on what landlords can do. Any changes that do happen as a result of these federal actions will need to be coupled with robust public outreach to increase awareness and ensure compliance.” Cornell University has dedicated television and audio studios available for media interviews.
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