Saturday, May 9, 2026 at a new residential development in Fontana, California, USA.
Kyle Grillot | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday is poised to approve a bipartisan housing affordability bill that would limit large investors from buying single-family homes but allow them to build additional housing units.
The bill has support from the White House after some last-minute changes balanced it between a Senate version that tightened restrictions on home ownership for large investors and a House version seen as more Wall Street-friendly.
The bill won support from the rental, construction, and housing industries by removing a requirement from the Senate-passed bill that would force large investors (defined as those who own 350 or more units) to sell units built in excess of the cap within seven years.
The Affordable Housing Act faced numerous battles between the House and Senate. Both chambers approved their own bills with strong bipartisan support earlier this year, but several provisions, including one that would oversee investors in the housing market, have led to disputes between chambers.
It’s unclear whether the amended House bill will get the 60 votes needed to pass the Senate before proceeding to the White House for President Donald Trump’s signature. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the housing oversight committee, worked with the White House to include several provisions in the bill with support from Democrats. Other senators voted against the bill in March, citing concerns about forced sales of pre-built homes and saying it would reduce the supply of housing.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (D) told reporters Tuesday in response to questions from CNBC that if the House passes the bill, the Senate will “act accordingly.”
Still, other senators said the original bill was correct to target investors who build homes to rent rather than sell.
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) said in a hallway interview on CNBC that the House “basically watered down President Trump’s top priority of ensuring young people can afford single-family homes.” He added that selling the homes built by investors is key to expanding homeownership.
“If we want to destroy the build-to-rent industry, so be it,” he said. “We don’t want homes to be rentals, we want them to be a way to build intergenerational wealth, especially for young people.
