Housing Affordability Institute

Release: Housing Permits Rebound, Starts Continue To Slide The seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing units authorized in the United States ticked up 6.1 percent in November, according to the United States Census Bureau’s Building Permit Survey report released this morning. MONTHLY ACTIVITY Building Permits: In November, permits for privately owned housing units were issued at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,505,000. This represents a 6.1% increase compared to the revised October rate of 1,419,000 but is slightly lower—by 0.2%—than the November 2023 rate of 1,508,000. Single-family home permits in November were at a rate of 972,000, marking a 0.1% rise from the revised October figure of 971,000. Permits for buildings with five or more units were issued at a rate of 481,000 during the month. Housing Starts: The seasonally adjusted annual rate for housing starts in November was 1,289,000 for privately-owned properties. This is 1.8% (±10.6%) below October’s revised estimate of 1,312,000 and 14.6% (±11.7%) lower than the November 2023 rate of 1,510,000. Starts on single-family homes reached a rate of 1,011,000 in November, reflecting a 6.4% (±10.8%) increase from October’s revised figure of 950,000. For buildings with five or more units, the November start rate was 264,000. Housing Completions: Housing completions for privately owned units in November were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,601,000. This is 1.9% (±9.2%) lower than October’s revised estimate of 1,632,000 but 9.2% (±12.9%) higher than the November 2023 rate of 1,466,000. Single-family home completions for November were recorded at a rate of 1,038,000, which is 3.3% (±8.7%) above the revised October rate of 1,005,000. For buildings with five or more units, the completion rate in November stood at 544,000. https://lnkd.in/gQ4tC92X #housing #homebuilding #housingpolicy

As we wrap up 2024, it’s clear that housing policy has remained a central issue, shaping conversations from city councils to presidential debates. This year brought a mix of progress, challenges, and critical lessons as governments, advocates, and communities worked to tackle the nation's growing affordability and inventory challenges. Will 2025 be an even bigger year? Nick Erickson recaps a momentous year and examines what could be on tap for housing in 2025. https://lnkd.in/gXn8CkEj #housing #housingpolicy #homebuilding

Housing Affordability Institute released a new white paper today highlighting the role bulk controls play in density. Highlights: - Setbacks, building height, elevation design standards, lot coverage, and floor area ratio are examples of bulk controls. - While used to create uniformity and for additional reasons, critics argue that bulk controls have been used for exclusionary purposes. - Interplay of all bulk controls and zoning is critical to ensure that allowed uses are possible in practice. The white paper is part of the Institute’s Housing Policy Explainer series and can be found in the Policy Center section of our website. https://lnkd.in/gZzHQJMD #planning #zoning #homebuilding #housingpolicy

Housing affordability was a top issue in the 2024 election. Now that the voters have spoken, what can our newly elected officials do to act on this priority? Nick Erickson highlights what can be done at the local, state and federal levels. #housing #housingpolicy #homebuilding https://lnkd.in/gSeewpEs

Release: New U.S. Housing Activity Continues To Slow The seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing units authorized in the United States fell in October, according to the United States Census Bureau’s Building Permit Survey report released this morning. #homebuilding #housing #mortgage https://lnkd.in/gE_eQ99a

Housing Affordability Institute released a new white paper today highlighting Floor Area Ratios (FAR) and how this land use policy can impact housing production. Highlights: -Set too low, FAR limits density beyond what is otherwise ideal for development and can cause a reduction in the total number of new units. - Reduction in density caused by low FAR can increase per-unit costs. - Interplay between setbacks, maximum lot coverage, and maximum building height is critical as the advertised FAR may be unattainable if these three policies do not work in concert with one another. "What is Floor Area Ratio" is a part of Housing Affordability Institute’s Housing Policy Explainer series which seeks to shed light on complex housing policy topics. This series is in the Policy Center. https://lnkd.in/gSxc5n2d #housing #housingpolicy #multifamily

Housing Affordability Institute released a new white paper today highlighting lot setbacks and how this land use policy can impact housing inventory and affordability. The white paper is a part of Housing Affordability Institute’s Housing Policy Explainer series which seeks to shed light on complex housing policy topics. #housingpolicy #homebuilding #development https://lnkd.in/gZvnTpFv

No, Making Homes More Expensive Does Not Make Them More Affordable In a new commentary, Nick Erickson, executive director of Housing Affordability Institute tackles the myth that increasing housing costs somehow increases affordability. https://lnkd.in/gPCfXdJX #housing #homebuilding #housingpolicy #energyefficiency

The seasonally adjusted annual rate of housing units authorized in the United States fell 2.9% in September, according to the United States Census Bureau’s Building Permit Survey report released this morning. Single-family permits were up 0.3% month-over-month, two- to four-unit permits up 5.3% month-over-month, and multifamily permits were down 10.8%. https://lnkd.in/gBeBpPXq #homebuilding #housing #housingpolicy

Housing Affordability Institute released a new whitepaper today highlighting the Nollan-Dolan standard, which stems from two U.S. Supreme Court cases, Nollan v. California Coastal Commission, 483 U.S. 825 (1987), and Dolan v. City of Tigard, 512 U.S. 374 (1994). Both cases deal with the concept of exactions and regulatory takings. The Nollan-Dolan standard refers to a two-part test used by courts to evaluate the constitutionality of exactions imposed on property owners seeking development permits. Highlights: - Nollan-Dolan is a foundational concept for regulatory takings case law within the land use and development space. - Under this doctrine, all exactions require an “essential nexus” and must be “roughly proportional” to the impact or need. - Recent cases have built upon the Nollan-Dolan standard and established that exactions include money and fees, and that municipal legislative actions are not exempt from Nollan-Dolan. This whitepaper is part of Housing Affordability Institute’s Housing Policy Explainer Series and can be found in our Policy Center. #housing #housingpolicy https://lnkd.in/dgb3mx6T