Senate Passes Bipartisan Housing Bill Banning Institutional Investors From Buying Single-Family Homes

The Senate on March 12–13, 2026 passed a large bipartisan housing package by an 89–10 vote that lawmakers and advocates say aims to expand supply and address affordability.

“By Samantha Delouya, CNN (CNN) — A bipartisan group of senators passed a bill Thursday aimed at improving housing affordability”

ABC17 NEWS

The measure is described as “the largest housing bill in decades” and contains roughly 40 provisions intended to increase housing supply and lower costs.

ABC17 NEWS

The Senate’s overwhelming 89–10 approval moves the hybrid 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act forward toward reconciliation with the House.

Beyond investor restrictions, the bill packages together a range of supply-focused reforms.

It seeks to encourage local zoning and land‑use changes and speed construction by easing certain environmental reviews.

Bisnow

The bill would expand manufactured housing, revise federal definitions, and update programs and financing tools such as HOME and CDBG to help communities build and rehabilitate affordable units.

Supporters say the combined measures are designed to modernize federal housing programs and reduce regulatory costs that slow production.

A centerpiece of the bill—and the source of intense debate—is a provision targeting large institutional owners.

“Senate Passes Housing Bill That Threatens To 'Shut Down' Build-To-Rent Industry The Senate passed its version of a historic housing reform bill Thursday, but it added new rules for developers of build-to-rent single-family homes that drew sharp backlash from the previously supportive real estate industry”

Bisnow

The Senate text bars certain investors from buying single‑family homes and sets a threshold of entities that own 350 or more single‑family homes.

It also imposes a requirement that investor-built or investor-held single‑family rental homes be sold to individual buyers after seven years in many cases.

Supporters and the White House say the limits curb Wall Street competition with homebuyers.

Industry groups, housing economists and some lawmakers warned the investor limits and the seven‑year disposition requirement could chill investment and hinder certain forms of new supply, especially built‑to‑rent (BTR) communities.

They say the rules could reduce rental inventory and slow construction of new single‑family units by disrupting financing models for BTR developments.

E&E News

Critics note institutional owners represent a small share of the overall single‑family market and argue the mandate to sell after seven years is infeasible.

Proponents argue reduced investor activity may modestly lower prices and increase homeownership in some markets.

Despite the broad Senate vote, the bill’s fate is uncertain in the House because the House has already passed a different, slimmer housing package.

“The Senate passed a bipartisan housing affordability package Thursday that could advance a number of proposals on permitting reform and disaster recovery”

E&E News

House Republicans and conservative groups say the Senate text is not conservative enough, so leaders will need to reconcile competing versions before sending a final bill to the president.

HousingWire

Lawmakers warn objections over the BTR provision and mixed signals from the White House could delay or reshape the final legislation.