The Senate passed a housing bill in June 2026 that would stop large investment firms from buying up too many single-family homes. The bill also sets up a test program to help people get mortgages of $100,000 or less, Reuters reported June 22.

The bill took months of negotiation between House and Senate lawmakers. In March 2026, the Senate had passed the Housing for the 21st Century Act, according to a Congressional Research Service document published in May. The final bill — called the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, officially released March 2, 2026 — combined House and Senate versions, per the Bipartisan Policy Center. The House bill, H.R.6644, expands funding for affordable housing and provides money for planning.

The part drawing the most attention limits how many homes large investors can own. For years, housing advocates and lawmakers have wanted to stop Wall Street companies and private equity firms from buying up large numbers of single-family homes — something that accelerated after the 2008 financial crisis. This bill would cap large investors at 350 homes each. That level targets the biggest players without affecting smaller regional companies or individual landlords. Democrats and some Republicans spent considerable time agreeing on this number.

The small-mortgage program targets a real problem. Lenders say mortgages under $100,000 cost them too much to process, so they don't offer them much. This has made it hard for people in poorer areas — including Appalachia, the rural South, and parts of the industrial Midwest — to get loans for affordable homes. The pilot program lets the government and government-sponsored lenders test new ways to process and deliver these smaller loans before creating a permanent program.

Other bills are also moving forward. H.R.6132 and S.1527, both called the Housing Affordability Act, are separate proposals that could be combined with the larger bill or pursued separately depending on how Congress schedules the votes.

The broader context is that Congress has spent two years working on housing issues, even though land-use questions usually hit gridlock. Both parts of this bill — the investor limit and the loan program — come from the same political pressure: voters in both parties say housing costs matter, and lawmakers see voting risk in doing nothing. What happens next depends on whether the House leadership brings these bills up for a vote before Congress ends its current session.