NMHC Through the Pandemic: Strong Voice of the Industry

The multifamily housing industry has been uniquely impacted by COVID-19 and the fallout from the pandemic. As millions of Americans began falling behind on rent payments and tenant advocates pushed for extreme measures, NMHC quickly pivoted to aggressively communicate the need for rental assistance in the face of state, local and, ultimately, federal eviction moratoria.
The following tactics led to significant policy wins, like the end of the federal eviction moratorium and increased rental assistance, and elevated the housing industry’s voice:

HEADLINE-GRABBING DATA

NMHC became the authority on rent payments overnight by launching the Rent Payment Tracker in April 2020, earning coverage from the New York Times, CNBC, Financial Times and other prominent outlets.

BOLD INSIDE-THE-BELTWAY ADVERTISING

NMHC coordinated targeted print and digital advertising in outlets federal lawmakers and their staffs consume that called for rental assistance, made the stakes of Congressional inaction clear, and showed a unified industry front.

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT WITH THE MEDIA

The story emerging out of the media at different points of the pandemic hasn’t always aligned with the facts. That’s why NMHC continues to aggressively engage with reporters and outlets covering the pandemic’s impact on housing every day. Those briefings and interviews have resulted in first-class coverage that pushes back against troubling narratives:

New York Times NBC News
Washington Post CBS News
Financial Times Forbes
CNBC NPR

PRODUCING INFORMATION THAT POLICYMAKERS NEED

COVID-19 put the entire country in uncharted waters, and federal lawmakers needed good information with clear data to navigate the policy maze created by the pandemic. NMHC’s in-depth research, delivered with strong messages of caution from the government relations team against extreme measures like continued eviction moratoria, made us an influential resource on Capitol Hill. Background documents and policy memos for lawmakers and influencers helped prevent more bad policies from taking hold.

In the end, strongly communicating our industry’s commonsense positions – that benefit renters and property owners alike – kept lawmakers informed and delivered results.