AG Aaron Ford Unveils ‘Affordable Nevada’ Housing Plan Amid Gubernatorial Campaign

As Nevada grapples with soaring housing costs that have left renters and aspiring homeowners struggling, Democratic gubernatorial candidate and current Attorney General Aaron Ford has released his “Affordable Nevada” plan, aiming to tackle the crisis through renter protections, development incentives, and curbs on corporate influence in the market.

Unveiled in mid-January, the plan divides into four key pillars: protecting homebuyers and renters, accelerating housing construction, unlocking federal lands for development, and countering economic pressures like tariffs that Ford argues inflate building costs.

Central to Ford’s proposals are measures to ease burdens on renters, including capping security deposits at one month’s rent—down from the current allowance of up to three months for unfurnished units—and banning “junk fees” that add to monthly costs. The plan also calls for expanded rental assistance programs and an executive order on day one directing state agencies to identify ways to reduce housing expenses statewide.

Ford targets corporate homebuying, vowing to crack down on large investors and hedge funds purchasing single-family homes, which he blames for driving up prices and limiting availability for everyday Nevadans. 

He has criticized incumbent Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo for vetoing similar legislation in the past, including bills to limit corporate ownership and prevent algorithmic price-fixing in rentals.

In 2023, Lombardo vetoed SB395, a bill sponsored by Democratic Sen. Dallas Harris that would have limited corporate investors to acquiring no more than 1,000 residential units annually—a measure revived and softened in 2025 but still opposed by the governor. Lombardo argued in his veto message that it would “remove millions of dollars in commerce tax revenue,” harm blue-collar jobs by reducing construction demand, and deter landlords amid a rental shortage.

Lombardo also vetoed legislation backed by Ford as AG to ban algorithmic rent-setting, calling it overly restrictive.

To boost supply, Ford pledges to cut bureaucratic red tape hindering construction, promote development on unused land in urban areas like Las Vegas, and advocate for the release of federal lands—echoing ongoing efforts but with a promise of stronger pushback against federal barriers. The plan also positions affordability as a top priority for state government, framing it as essential for working families amid economic headwinds.

The release comes as housing remains a dominant voter concern in Nevada’s competitive 2026 gubernatorial race, with polls showing it ranks high alongside the economy. Ford’s campaign has highlighted the state’s record-high rents and low home sales in recent years, arguing that bold action is needed to make “home really mean Nevada” for residents.

In response to Ford’s plan, Gov. Joe Lombardo’s campaign provided the following statement to the California Globe, emphasizing his administration’s concrete achievements:

Background on Governor Lombardo’s Efforts to Expand Attainable Housing Access:

• Presented and signed his Nevada Housing Access and Attainability Act, cutting bureaucratic barriers and accelerating attainable housing development. With an allocation of $183 million, this initiative aims to catalyze the development of over $1 billion in affordable and attainable housing options.

• Led the Nevada Housing Division to authorize over $1 billion in bonding authority to develop and preserve more than 5,500 rental homes and an additional $900 million in bonding authority to support over 3,300 new Nevada homeowners.

• Secured over 6,500 new affordable rental homes in the Nevada Housing Division pipeline, which will increase overall affordable inventory by more than 15% and help ease the housing supply shortage in Nevada over the next 2 to 5 years.

• Streamlined contractor licensing to boost rural housing development across Nevada’s fifteen rural counties and cut bureaucratic red tape.

• Initiated, and continue to coordinate, with local governments and industry to pursue the release of federal lands to increase the supply of attainable housing and further economic development in Nevada; demonstrated through a roundtable with the U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, alongside continued federal advocacy efforts.

• Signed a historic data sharing agreement with BLM Nevada to identify potential federal land for release.

“My administration doesn’t just talk about housing and affordability — we take action. We’ve leveraged more than a billion dollars to expand housing access, cut red tape that slows construction, secured over 10,000 rental homes, and continued our fight for the release of federal land to build attainable housing. My administration won’t stop fighting for housing access until home really means Nevada for everyone in our state.”

As the campaign heats up, housing policy is poised to remain a flashpoint, with voters weighing promises of protection and supply expansion against records of implementation. Ford’s plan positions him as a champion for renters and anti-corporate measures, while Lombardo highlights tangible funding and regulatory reforms already underway. 

Nevadans will decide in November which approach best addresses the ongoing affordability crunch.