Overview
- The House approved the amended 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act in a 396–13 vote on Wednesday, May 20, and the bill has been returned to the Senate for further action.
- House changes removed the Senate’s seven‑year divestiture requirement for build‑to‑rent projects, broadened exemptions for build‑to‑rent, narrowed some HUD authorizations and added a community‑banking title to ease rules for smaller lenders.
- A remaining cap in the House text would bar institutional owners holding about 350 or more single‑family rentals from buying additional homes, a limit that supporters say protects buyers and critics warn could chill financing and new construction.
- The White House publicly endorsed the House version and urged Senate approval, while Senate leaders including Tim Scott and Elizabeth Warren say more negotiation is needed to bridge the chambers’ differences.
- Industry groups and local contractors reacted unevenly: many trade groups welcomed the House revisions, but builders and renovators report slowed deals and job impacts as investors pause activity while Washington finalizes the bill.