The Federal government announced a plan to make it easier for builders to get new housing on the market. It’s part of the Biden administration’s Housing Supply Action Plan. This program, announced on July 27th, would reduce land use and zoning restrictions, increase financing for affordable energy efficient housing, and promote the conversion of under-used commercial space into homes.   Hi, I'm Kathy Fettke and this is Real Estate News for Investors. If you like our podcast, please subscribe and leave us a review.   Oversized Demand, Limited Supply   The housing crisis is the result of an oversized demand for housing, a limited supply of affordable homes, and a whole lot of rules and regulations that make it difficult to build more homes. Each city and municipality has zoning rules and land use policies that lean toward low-density housing, like single-family detached homes.   The new program will provide $85 million in funding to help communities increase their housing density. For communities that can identify ways to do this, the program will pay grants of as much as $10 million. The money would help create new policies for higher-density zoning, simplify procedures for the planning and development of affordable housing, and reduce things like land use restrictions and parking requirements.   This new HUD funding along with funds from the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will also be available for the conversion of office space to homes. Bisnow reported on a study that says as many as 34% of office buildings in 14 North American markets are conversion candidates, but the study also found that developers feel the cost for doing this is prohibitive and that more incentives are needed. There’s also an effort to identify federal properties that could be converted.    Plan Calls for Several Far-Reaching Goals   The White House said in the press release that the announcement is a “down payment” on a plan that will “boost supply, lower costs, cut dangerous climate pollution, promote homeownership, protect renters, and promote fair housing.” As the president of the National Multifamily Housing Council, Sharon Wilson Geno, commented: “Policies that actually move the needle and expand housing supply are the only real way we are going to lower the cost of housing and broaden housing availability.”   The housing program is a multi-pronged action plan that also involves:   1 - The Department of Transportation to help with transportation and access issues as part of a previously announced “Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods” program. 2 - The Economic Development Administration to steer the grantmaking process toward efficient land use that includes housing density and access to commercial, economic, and employment opportunities. 3 - The Environmental Protection Agency to mobilize private capital and financing for clean energy projects and retrofits. There are several departments involved with various clean energy efforts related to housing. 4 - The Federal Housing Administration to make it easier to finance the building and rehabilitating of apartment buildings.    The FHA is also making it easier for homeowners to get financing for accessory dwelling units. One of the big policy changes is the ability to use expected rental income from an ADU to qualify for the purchase or the refinancing of a home.    White House Plan to Protect Tenants   There are also new efforts to protect renters. About 35% of the U.S. population live in rental housing. That’s about 44 million people. Many faced eviction after pandemic moratoriums were eliminated. Bisnow says that in some cities, eviction filings surged by 50% this last summer. But to keep things in perspective, the eviction rate was close to zero during the pandemic, so a 50% increase may not be a huge amount. Landlords also need to collect rent to remain in business.    In regards to the White House effort to protect tenants, the plan is to:   1 - Ensure