WASHINGTON (July 23, 2020) – National Association of Realtors® President Vince Malta issued the following statement after the Department of Housing and Urban Development on Thursday unveiled its final rule implementing the “affirmatively furthering fair housing” provisions of the Federal Fair Housing Act. Following the administration’s initial proposal in January, NAR publicly commented that the changes threatened to strip away the rule’s original civil rights purpose, as mandated by the 1968 law.
“The National Association of Realtors® is disappointed that HUD has taken this step, which significantly weakens the federal government’s commitment to the goals of the Fair Housing Act,” said NAR President Vince Malta, broker at Malta & Co., Inc., in San Francisco, CA. “The viability of our 1.4 million members depends on the free, transparent and efficient transfer of property in this country, and NAR maintains that a strong, affirmative fair housing rule is vital to advancing our nation’s progress toward thriving and inclusive communities. With the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on people of color reminding us of the costs of the failure to address barriers to housing opportunity, NAR remains committed to ensuring no American is unfairly denied this fundamental right in the future.”
The National Association of Realtors® is America’s largest trade association, representing more than 1.4 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.