HUD Abolishes the Affirmatively Further Fair Housing Rule

The National Association of REALTORS® has voiced concern over HUD eliminating the Affirmatively Further Fair Housing Rule (AFFH) and replacing it with Preserving Community and Neighborhood Choice.

AFFH was put into place in 2015 as a means to implement the 1968 Fair Housing Act’s mandate for government to take affirmative steps in addressing segregation. Under AFFH, any city or town that receives federal funding is required to examine racial bias in local housing and design a plan to address such bias.

The new Preserving Community and Neighborhood Choice rule requires cities and towns to affirm that they have furthered fair housing would by proposing any action above what is required by statute related to promoting any of the attributes of fair housing. Fair housing is described as “affordable, safe, decent, free of unlawful discrimination, and accessible under civil rights laws.” HUD is still able to terminate funding if a city or town is found to have not adhered to the rule.

NAR argues that this significantly weakens the federal government’s commitment to the goals of the Fair Housing Act. You can read more about the REALTOR® position here.