Legislative Priorities

PAR monitors hundreds of bills impacting real estate and property owners each legislative session, advocating for policies that positively impact the real estate industry and consumers.

2025-2026 Legislative Session

The Pennsylvania General Assembly will kick off its new legislative session with Inauguration Day on Jan. 7, 2025. The makeup of the assembly is slated to remain virtually the same, with House Democrats retaining their one-seat majority and Senate Republicans retaining their six-seat majority. With elections in the rearview, lawmakers will have to navigate the political waters to negotiate all the hard-hitting issues that matter to Pennsylvanians.

In addition, Pennsylvania’s political climate will be influenced by key changes in leadership, specifically among House Republicans. Rep. Jesse Topper (R-Bedford) will lead the Republican House Caucus. This new leadership will navigate negotiating with a seasoned leadership team within the House Democrats and the Senate Chamber.

PAR will continue to monitor all legislation during this session as it advocates for homeownership across the commonwealth.

2023-2024 Legislative Session

legislative committee meetings

bills considered

bills supported

supported bills signed into law

Key Legislation PAR is Monitoring

Housing

An estimated 12 million renter and homeowner households across the U.S. pay more than 50 percent of their annual incomes on housing. It is vital that the association play a role in ensuring that housing of all types is available at all income levels and that programs are available to help homeowners achieve the dream of homeownership. The association must also contribute to the creation of revitalized communities while maintaining private property rights.

House Bill 818 (Bizzarro, D-Erie) & Senate Bill 803 (Brown, R-Monroe/Wayne) – establishes the First-time Homebuyer Savings Account. PAR supports these bills.
House Bill 1095 (Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster) – seals eviction records after seven years or when the tenant wins on the merits of the case. PAR supports this bill.

Taxes

Taxes related to real estate transactions, such as the realty transfer tax, and those associated with homeownership, such as the property tax, are a major burden to buyers and homeowners alike. An increase in any industry-related tax would have a negative impact on housing costs and the industry as a whole.

Senate Bill 815 (Picozzi, R-Philadelphia) & House Bill 214 (Kutz, R-Cumberland) – exempts first-time homebuyers from the state portion of the realty transfer tax. PAR supports these bills.
House Bill 96 (Pielli, D-Chester) – allows a property owner to designate an individual to receive a notification regarding delinquent real estate taxes on the property owner’s real property. PAR supports this bill.

Professionalism and Practice

The Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act (RELRA) governs the practice of real estate licensees in the Commonwealth and protects consumers who work with real estate licensees. It is incumbent upon the association to enact laws that enhance the industry, both for its members and for consumers.

House Bill 30 (Guzman, D-Berks) – amends the Real Estate Appraisers Certification Act to allow appraisers-in-training to work with multiple supervisors to gain experience. PAR supports this bill.
House Bill 986 (Cephas, D-Philadelphia) – defines and bars an “unfair real estate service agreement.” PAR supports this bill.
House Bill 1103 (Cephas, D-Philadelphia) – enables discount points to be applied to first and secondary mortgage loans. PAR supported this bill, which is now Act 16 of 2025.
House Bill 1406 (Rabb, D-Philadelphia) – creates a criminal offense of deed fraud. PAR supports this bill.
Senate Bill 838 (Culver, R-Columbia/Luzerne/Montour/Northumberland/Snyder) – amends the Private Licensed Schools Act to exempt real estate and appraiser schools from the definition of “private licensed schools.” PAR strongly supports this bill.
House Bill 300 (Kenyatta, D-Philadelphia) & Senate Bill 150 (Santarsiero, D-Bucks) – prohibits discrimination based on an individual’s sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. PAR supports these bills.

Local Issues

While municipalities in Pennsylvania have the authority to enact local ordinances on such issues as the registration of tenants, sewage lateral inspections, and installation of residential sprinkler systems, it is important for the association to monitor these ordinances in order to forestall any pending statewide implementation.

House Bill 1048 (Cerrato, D-Montgomery) – authorizes municipalities to use funds and workers to replace or repair private water or sewer laterals connected to public systems. PAR supports this bill.
House Bill 273 (Merski, D-Erie) – establishes a Municipal Codes Enforcement Grant Program. PAR is neutral on this bill.
House Bill 734 (Madsen, D-Dauphin) – allows landlords to voluntarily help tenants relocate if their current property becomes condemned. PAR supports this bill.
House Bill 743 (Salisbury, D-Allegheny) – enables a municipality to designate a blighted or abandoned property as available for acquisition by a land bank. PAR opposes this bill.
House Bill 1062 (Markosek, D-Allegheny) – creates a statewide blight data collection system using property code violations. PAR is seeking to amend this bill.
House Bill 1250 (Hanbidge, D-Montgomery) – prohibits manufactured housing owners from increasing rent beyond CPI. PAR strongly opposes this bill.
House Bill 1498 (Rabb, D-Philadelphia) & Senate Bill 890 (Bartolotta, R-Washington) – provides processes for portioning a property between heirs who inherit the property. PAR supports these bills.

Past Legislative Priorities

Session 2023-2024

Residential Wholesaling

On July 8, Governor Josh Shapiro signed into law Act 52 of 2024, formerly Senate Bill 1173. This bill was a key priority for the PAR Legislative Committee and based on recommendations of a PAR-member task force.

SB 1173 requires those conducting residential wholesaling in the commonwealth to obtain a real estate salesperson license under the Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act (RELRA). Additionally, this bill ensures that consumers are made aware they are engaging in a wholesale transaction by receiving proper disclosures.

Municipal Code and Ordinance Compliance Act

House Bill 1567 was signed into law on Oct. 2 as Act 93 of 2024. PAR’s Legislative Committee voted to make House Bill 1567 (Malagari, D-Montgomery) priority legislation after its introduction in June.

HB 1567, introduced by Realtor® champion Rep. Steven Malagari from Montgomery County, clarifies the Municipal Code and Ordinance Compliance Act (MCOCA) to ensure property transfers are not arbitrarily stopped by municipalities or their components or result in the displacement of renters from properties that are changing ownership. It further clarifies that temporary use permits can still be issued for renter-occupied property transfers, ensuring existing renters are not displaced due to minor code violations.

Session 2021-2022

Private Roadway Maintenance Agreements

HB 523 was signed into law as Act 75 of 2021. This law requires homeowners that access their properties through a private road to contribute to maintenance of the road. Read more about private roadway maintenance agreements.

Livestream Real Estate Education

HB 1849 was signed into law as Act 25 of 2022. This law permits real estate education providers to livestream remotely to students. Read more about livestream continuing education.

1031 Like-kind Exchanges

HB 1342 was signed into law as Act 52 of 2022. This law allows investors to exchange investment property for another similar property, deferring on capital gains at the time of the swap. Read more about 1031 like-kind exchanges.