Key facts
- The 21st Century Road to Housing Act, a bipartisan housing bill, has become law.
- President Donald Trump refused to sign the bill, but it automatically enacted without a veto.
- The law aims to increase housing supply and reduce costs through 47 provisions.
- Key measures include limiting institutional investors in single-family homes and streamlining development processes.
- Experts suggest the bill's impact on housing affordability will be incremental.
The 21st Century Road to Housing Act, a significant bipartisan housing bill, has officially become law on July 11, 2026. Despite President Donald Trump's attempts to delay and his refusal to sign the legislation, it automatically enacted due to the absence of a veto. This marks the first major housing bill passed since the 1990s and is seen by lawmakers as a crucial step in addressing the nation's housing crisis, characterized by high home prices and rental costs.
The comprehensive measure comprises 47 proposals aimed at increasing housing supply, reducing construction and acquisition costs, and expanding access to affordable homes. Key provisions include limiting the acquisition of single-family homes by institutional investors, which could disadvantage individual homebuyers and lead to more aggressive rent increases. The bill also seeks to lower the cost of manufactured housing by removing the steel chassis requirement, potentially reducing costs by $5,000 to $10,000 per unit.
Further measures include streamlining environmental reviews for housing developments, encouraging architectural designs for midsize apartment buildings that require only one stairway to reduce construction costs, and requiring local governments receiving federal funding to publish databases of undeveloped land parcels to identify potential development sites. The legislation also promotes the issuance of small dollar mortgages of less than $100,000.
However, housing policy scholars and experts anticipate only marginal improvements in housing affordability. They argue that the bill does not address the fundamental issue of insufficient income among millions of renters and homeowners to cover their housing expenses. Additionally, the implementation of new regulations and the time required for new construction and local government changes are expected to delay any immediate relief for the market.