IREM goes to Washington

Autumn marks a season of renewed legislative activity across the United States, as both Congress and state legislatures return from summer recess and shift their focus back to governing. With the backdrop of falling leaves and cooler temperatures, lawmakers reconvene to tackle pressing policy issues, draft new bills, and finalize budgets before the year’s end. This period often sets the tone for the legislative priorities ahead, as elected officials balance constituent demands, political agendas, and looming deadlines.

To ensure property management interests are being protected, the IREM government affairs team will travel to D.C. for our annual congressional briefing in September. The objective of the briefing is to inform, educate, and influence legislative staff members who support lawmakers in shaping policy, making decisions, and drafting legislation. Some of the key goals for our event include:

• Inform about our issues
  • We provide congressional staff with accurate, up-to-date information on legislation, regulations, or policy discussions.
• Educate on implications
• Help staff understand the broader context, potential impacts, and unintentional consequences of an issue—using data, subject matter expert opinions, or real-world examples.
  • Support policy decision-making.
  • Offer clear policy recommendations, positions, or actions that align with our interests. 
• Build relationships and credibility
  • Establish IREM and our presenters as reliable resources for future information or collaboration.

The briefing, “The Impact of Federal Policies on Real Estate,” will focus on federal policies that affect the real estate and property management industry. Property management subject matter experts will provide an overview to congressional staffers on how the property management industry plays a pivotal role in shaping the economic landscape and fostering community development. In addition, legislation IREM will be advocating for support during the briefing includes: 

Respect State Housing Laws Act (S. 470/H.R. 1078) 

The Respect State Housing Laws Act would eliminate a provision that requires a 30-day notice period before a property manager may begin eviction proceedings against a tenant in federally assisted or federally backed housing. It is our belief that the CARES Act notice-to-vacate requirement was intended to expire when the eviction moratorium itself expired (August 2021) and not be a permanent change to states’ eviction laws. We urge Congress to support a legislative fix to ensure that property owners can effectively manage their properties and continue to provide quality, affordable housing to their communities. 

Choice in Affordable Housing Act (S. 890/H.R.1981) 

IREM members own and manage over 60% of all federally assisted housing and public housing units in the United States. Federally assisted housing puts people into homes who otherwise would have challenges obtaining safe and decent housing. 

The Choice in Affordable Housing Act would provide $500 million to create a Housing Partnership Fund. The funds would be distributed to Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) to offer a signing bonus to a landlord with a unit in an area with less than 20% poverty and to provide security deposit assistance, so that tenants can better afford to meet required deposits and landlords are assured greater protection. 

Revitalizing Downtowns and Main Streets Act (H.R. 2410) 

The Revitalizing Downtowns and Main Streets Act (RDMA) would provide a federal tax credit to facilitate the conversion of older, underutilized office and other commercial buildings into residential housing. This credit would cover between 20% and 35% of eligible costs involved in converting commercial real estate to housing, since the high costs of many conversions have made turning vacant commercial spaces into new housing too expensive. Overall, the RDMA would help offset prohibitive costs so our communities can address the affordable housing shortage.

Property Management Day

While in D.C., we will also point out to legislative offices how Property Management Day is unofficially observed on September 23. The day is dedicated to recognizing the hard work and dedication of property managers who play a crucial role in maintaining residential, commercial, and industrial spaces. 

Some of the points we will be communicating to legislative offices about property managers include:

Importance of property managers 

• Recognize essential work: Property managers play a critical role in maintaining safe, habitable, and thriving residential and commercial communities.
• Acknowledge frontline contributions: Property managers are often the first responders to emergencies, from natural disasters to public health crises like COVID-19.
• Celebrate economic impact: The property management industry supports millions of jobs and contributes significantly to local and national economies through housing, infrastructure, and commercial real estate.

The role of property managers

• Community stability: They ensure buildings are up to code, tenants are safe, and neighborhoods remain stable and functional.
• Housing access and retention: Managers help connect residents to housing, coordinate with assistance programs, and often mediate to prevent evictions and promote housing stability.
• Small business support: In commercial real estate, property managers support the operations of small businesses by maintaining viable storefronts and offices.

Why legislators should care

• Policy alignment: Property management issues align with broader legislative priorities like affordable housing, disaster preparedness, workforce development, and urban revitalization.
• Constituent support: Property managers serve thousands of constituents in every district—renters, homeowners, and business owners alike.
• Bridge to collaboration: Highlighting their role opens dialogue for public-private partnerships on housing policy, sustainability efforts, and tenant protections.

Advocating for our members is not just a responsibility—it’s a necessity. As the experts who maintain safe, affordable, and well-managed housing and commercial spaces, property managers play a vital role in our communities and the economy. By engaging with policymakers and their staff, we ensure our voices are being heard in the legislative process, regulations are fair and practical, and the industry has the support it needs to thrive. Together, we can help shape policy that reflects the real-world challenges and contributions of property managers nationwide.