OPINION: Misguided Rental Scrutiny Risks Nevada’s Most Vulnerable

Nevada’s housing market recently received a much-needed boost. The Nevada Housing Division’s Worker Advantage Program, created through Governor Lombardo’s 2025 housing package, is investing $18 million in state funds toward down payment help for essential worker households. This is a positive step, offering relief during Nevada’s housing crunch. State lawmakers should build on this momentum to make housing more affordable for Nevadans and avoid policies that could make the crisis worse.

James Nava

Young Professional Network leader in Reno and a licensed Realtor

However, recent legislative efforts and misguided scrutiny are creating more bureaucratic hurdles for buyers, developers, and renters, ultimately increasing housing prices and squeezing Nevadans across the state. While the state is rightly supporting essential workers who want to buy a home with the Worker Advantage Program, the legislature is taking a contradictory stance toward renters.

In November 2025, Nevada lawmakers added Senate Bill 10 to the special session agenda. The bill would have restricted the number of homes that corporations can buy in a single year. The effort was led by State Senator Dina Neal (D), who had championed a similar measure, SB 391, during the regular session; that earlier bill narrowly failed in the Assembly by just one vote. Additionally, we are seeing increased pressure from similar measures introduced by federal lawmakers, including Senator Jacky Rosen (D) and Representative Susie Lee (D).

These efforts raise a troubling question: why are our elected officials targeting the very providers of rental housing supply that so many Nevadans rely on?

For many families, homeownership remains out of reach. Amid today’s housing challenges, renting, especially single-family homes, has become a more affordable and flexible option that allows families to save up and eventually pursue the American dream of owning a home.

Single-family rentals are also important for Nevada’s essential workers—those who keep the state running. Firefighters, nurses, teachers, and law enforcement officers are among the growing number of Nevadans seeking attainable housing options that make commutes easier and paychecks stretch further.

All Nevada families deserve the opportunity to enjoy their own backyard—a space where children can run and play after school. They should be able to thrive in neighborhoods with access to good schools. Desirable housing should not be a privilege reserved solely for homeownership. Fortunately, for many working families in Nevada, single-family rentals make this possible. This kind of stability serves as a launchpad for upward mobility, providing Nevada families with the opportunity to save, grow, and ultimately achieve the American dream.

Research from both the University of California, Berkeley and Virginia Tech shows that expanding the supply of single-family rentals helps economically disadvantaged children attend higher-performing schools, setting up future generations for success. Harvard economist Raj Chetty’s studies further confirm that single-family rentals can be a powerful catalyst for social mobility among lower-income families.

According to BatchData’s 2025 Q2 Investor Pulse report, institutional investors—those targeted by recent legislation—own only about 2% of the nation’s housing market. In fact, these investors have been net sellers for the past year and a half.

These professional housing providers also have the resources to restore existing, dilapidated housing into newly remodeled, more affordable rental homes, helping to free up some of the over 100,000 vacant homes in Nevada. Additionally, they have been shifting from purchasing existing homes to building build-to-rent communities that add rental supply that wouldn’t otherwise exist. All of these efforts directly increase the supply of quality housing—precisely what Nevada needs.

Nevada’s lawmakers are addressing the right problem with the wrong solutions. The main obstacle isn’t institutional investors but excessive regulations, red tape, and slow permitting, which raise costs and delay new home construction. Governments alone can’t solve the shortage. Instead of blaming those who are expanding housing, policies should promote building and renovating homes. Programs like the Worker Advantage Program are helpful, but we need diverse solutions to meet Nevada’s families’ needs for buying or renting.

It’s time we make the American dream of homeownership attainable for more Nevada families. I urge state legislators to collaborate with industry leaders to unlock the full potential of Nevada’s housing market by supporting both renters and buyers, cutting bureaucratic hurdles, and investing in the homes our communities genuinely need.

-James Nava is a Young Professional Network leader in Reno and a licensed Realtor