The Biden administration announced an additional front — rental housing — for its standing opposition to so-called junk fees for consumers.

"From repeated rental application fees to surprise 'convenience fees,' millions of families incur burdensome costs in the rental application process and throughout the duration of their lease," the White House posted. "These fees are often more than the actual cost of providing the service, or are added onto rents to cover services that renters assume are included—or that they don't even want."

The broader focus on junk fees is far from a new surprise. It goes back to at least August 2023 when, during a state dinner, Biden said, "These so called 'junk fees' are not just an irritant – they can weaken market competition, raise costs for consumers and businesses, and hit the most vulnerable Americans the hardest."

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.

Once you are an ALM Digital Member, you’ll receive:

  • Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.