3 Things You Can Do for Housing Policy This Summer
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By Tommy Herbert, VAMA Manager of Government Affairs
There is often a lull in legislative developments during Virginia summers. It’s hot, dang it. Commissions and Boards still meet regularly, but with a part-time legislature that adjourns in March at latest, little can technically be changed in state level housing policy until the following January.
When Virginia’s old state budget expires on July 1, and the new budget goes into effect, things like required payment plans, RRP applications, and 14-day notices will no longer be mandated. Housing providers will return to 5-day notice periods and rent relief will no longer be available. VAMA still strongly recommends the use of payment plans where applicable and working with residents to get current prior to resorting to the Unlawful Detainer process.
But that does not mean that there is nothing to do. Here are three ways that you can help the rental housing industry promote good housing policy here in the Commonwealth:
1. Connect in-person with your state legislator. This can seem daunting; it’s difficult to know where to begin, but it’s a lot easier than you may think. During summers, legislators are back home in their districts and available to meet with constituents much more easily and closer to home. Often it only takes an email to their official account, which you can find here. Developing relationships with our policymakers is one of the most potent ways you can support VAMA’s legislative efforts, and we are here to help facilitate that conversation with talking points and data to support your real-world experiences.
2. Keep an eye on local housing issues from all perspectives. Legislation seldom emerges from a vacuum. Often, a traumatic experience artfully explained can spur on big changes when it resonates with enough people.
That goes for housing providers just as much as it does residents. We know that there is massive demand pressure on rental housing in many markets in Virginia, and often barriers to the construction that could alleviate that pressure. There is a whole spectrum of ways those barriers can manifest, from high land costs, restrictive land-use regulations, excessive or labyrinthine permitting processes just to name a few. VAMA needs your help in identifying areas where those barriers can and should be addressed. If your company is seeing these issues, please reach out to Tommy Herbert at Tommy@VAMAOnline.org.
3. Relate Your Experiences in an Op Ed. It sounds cliché to repeat the truism that nobody knows how you feel or what you want until you tell them, but in the rental housing industry it bears repeating. Media consumers are exposed early and often to the lowlight experiences that some bad actors in housing create for residents.
The story that seldom or never gets told is the story of the challenges that housing providers face in trying to keep our businesses open and the ways that we go above and beyond to help our residents. Nobody can tell that story but a housing provider themselves. Writing an Op Ed for your local newspaper can go a long way to relating that experience and showing folks just how hard we work as housing providers. VAMA can be helpful in drafting and submitting for those who would like to pursue this, and you can reach out to Tommy Herbert if you would like more information.
