TRYING TO STOP THE PANDEMIC ROLLER-COASTER By Paul Cauduro, AAA Director of Government Relations
Y During this rollercoaster ride, with all of its crazy, twists and turns, the AAA has worked with the TAA and the NAA to advocate for the rental housing industry on a wide range of issues.
ear 2021 has not gone as planned for the rental housing industry. That early promise of a strong, resurgent year has been replaced by rapidly rising COVID cases and hospitalizations, extended eviction moratoriums and slow distribution of rental assistance funds. During this roller-coaster ride, with all of its crazy twists and turns, the Austin Apartment Association (AAA) has worked with the Texas Apartment Association (TAA) and the National Apartment Association (NAA) to advocate for the rental housing industry on a wide-range of issues. However, advocacy has just been part of the actions taken, because coupled with our advocacy efforts are the actions taken in partnership with local, state and federal officials to distribute information to residents, facilitate the submittal of rental assistance applications and maintain a safe living environment at the property. When taken together, both the advocacy and partnership actions demonstrate that association members are committed to its mission of advancing the
expertise and collective community impact of the rental housing industry as well as helping realize its vision that people will thrive where they live. Using advocacy and partnership efforts to keep the apartment industry healthy during the pandemic began
Read about AAA’s current advocacy issues at www.austinaptassoc.com/news/advocacy-in-action
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Industry UPDATE
almost right away in mid-March 2020 when rental housing leaders immediately began calling for financial assistance to renters economically impacted by COVID before the situation resulted in delinquencies or eviction. The early advocacy efforts also included calls for relief for student housing providers and carry-back rules to address anticipated year 2020 operating losses. In partnership with residents and local governments, the AAA promulgate new lease forms to waive late rent payment fees and establish rent payment extension schedules. The AAA also created a “Renter Resources” page on its website listing all known agencies and organizations able to provide rental assistance and other aid. As soon as the CARES Act was enacted at the end of March 2020, the NAA and its state and local affiliates began offering educational webinars and guidance documents. This was critical to help keep housing providers in compliance with the fast-changing eviction and eviction notification rules, and also to ensure that they could quickly take advantage of the business-related provisions included in the legislation such as mortgage forbearance. When the pandemic extended into the summer of 2020 so did the industry’s advocacy and partnership efforts. More than 24,000 messages were sent to Congress by NAA members asking that ambiguous language in the CARES Act be fixed and explained how compliance with the 30-day notices in the Act was complicated and interfering with efforts taken by rental housing providers to help renters. As these messages were being sent, the AAA was busy working with the city by providing input on how to best implement rental assistance programs and partnering with Austin Public Health to help educate properties about how to comply with local masking and social
