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Legislative Priorities



The Indiana Apartment Association (IAA) understands how government actions can have an impact on your individual business and the overall health of the industry. The professionals on our Government Affairs team keep a watchful eye on federal, state and local governments. With many years of combined experience, members can rest assured that their voice will be heard with elected officials.

If you learn about a proposed regulation in your community, please contact our government affairs team immediately. Our team does their best to be a part of the conversation as we work to educate and advocate on behalf of Indiana’s multifamily industry.

Concerned about the federal government? Our affiliation with the National Apartment Association provides membership access to a wealth of information on emerging issues and representation at the federal level.

IAA regularly provides communication through its weekly general e-newsletter, weekly legislative updates during the legislative session, and more. These resources allow our members to focus on their business while staying in the loop of what is going on at all levels of government.

For more information on IAA’s advocacy, visit our Legislative Updates page (you must be a current member and logged in to view the page).

Top Legislative Priorities

IAA closely tracks legislative issues that impact the multifamily housing industry, with a focus on key priority bills that affect our members. Our government affairs team actively monitors legislation, advocates for policies that protect property owners and residents, and provides timely updates to our members. Below is a list of key priority areas AND recent noteworthy accomplishments.

  • Fought to keep multifamily in the 2% property tax cap in the Indiana Constitution, as opposed to the 3% which was originally proposed.
  • Required the Assessor to appraise the property by cost, sales, and income before using the lowest of the three approaches when determining a property’s value.
  • Saved the multifamily housing industry $1.87 million annually by requiring that housing be exempt from the Indianapolis’ Economic Enhancement District (EED) tax.
  • Secured multifamily residential developments ability to use TIF for future use after potential sunsetting of the program in 2025. 
  • Fought tirelessly to both pass legislation and obtain a veto override, creating statewide consistency in landlord-tenant law by only allowing the state legislature to make changes regarding leases, disclosures, resident screening, fees, and security deposits.
  • Defeated numerous pieces of legislation that would have shifted costs from residents to property owners by extending the time before a resident could be evicted.
  • Eliminated a loophole, exploited by some municipally owned utilities, that resulted in property owners being unfairly charged for the utility bills of their residents.
  • Eliminated a local government’s ability to pass its own building codes and standards by requiring a local government to petition the state’s Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission to add any desired modifications to the statewide code.
  • Reformed the Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission to give industry experts a vote and voice in the process to ensure every new regulation is absolutely necessary. 
  • Created an Indiana-specific statute addressing Emotional Support Animals which prohibits fraudulent documentation from online providers falsely certifying pets as Emotional Support Animals.
  • Successfully pushed for the rental registration fee cap of $5 per property annually.
  • Defeated proposed “repair and deduct” legislation, which would increase litigation surrounding evictions and delayed rent payments to properties.
  • Created an opt-out from local inspection programs under certain circumstances.
  • Established law that says rental properties cannot be forced into participating in the Section 8 housing program.
  • Ensured developers cannot be forced to set aside a percentage of new units for affordable housing or make an in lieu of payment toward an affordable housing fund.
  • Defined the term squatter and allowed property owners to file affidavits to initiate and remove squatters with law enforcement within 48 hours of initial filing.
  • Successfully reduced the storage period for former residents’ property from 90 to 45 days, aligning Indiana closer to the national average of 30 days.
  • Expanded the use of emergency possessory hearings to include criminal acts by residents or guest that threaten the safety of individuals on the property and synthetic fraud, where false information is used to secure a lease.
  • Communicate regularly with staff and members of the Indiana Congressional Delegation to ensure they are updated on important issues impacting the industry.
  • Publish IAA’s weekly Multifamily Markup, which focuses on local, state, federal legislative and regulatory issues. 
  • Monitor local government meeting agendas across the state for agenda items that might impact multifamily housing and report those to IAA membership.
  • Provide education and feedback to local government officials that propose ordinances that would have a negative impact on housing supply.