Authored by Abigail Stiles, Senior Policy Analyst for the City of Albuquerque City Council and Kristin Carmichael, Carmichael Consultants
When policy meets partnership, real change happens. Albuquerque’s Landlord Engagement Program shows how cities can combine tenant protections with landlord and renter support to open more doors to stable housing.
Key Takeaways
- Policy Plus Partnership: Enacting Source of Income protections created a pathway for some Albuquerque residents to rent, but pairing the policy with landlord collaboration, stakeholder-driven program design and practical supports meaningfully reduced barriers for City of Albuquerque housing voucher holders.
- Every Community is Different and Stakeholder Input is Critical: In Albuquerque, landlords welcomed damage reimbursement for City of Albuquerque housing voucher holders, but they also valued other program features. Communities should spend time understanding the needs of their local landlords, which may differ depending on the population.
- Relationships and Dedicated Staff are Key: The Landlord Liaison team, along with the fast reimbursement process, built trust in the private rental market and helped expand housing access. By treating landlords as partners, the program is significantly increasing the number of available rental units for voucher holders.
A New Approach Sparked by Policy Change
In 2022, Albuquerque, N.M., took a major step toward expanding housing access when City Council passed O-22-16, sponsored by Councilors Brook Bassan and Pat Davis.
The ordinance prohibits landlords from rejecting applicants based solely on their source of income — a change aimed at dismantling one of the most persistent barriers facing voucher holders, veterans, seniors and others seeking stable housing.
Even with the new law, landlords still had lawful screening tools, like credit checks, rental history and income thresholds that could unintentionally keep voucher holders out.
Being proactive, the city took a collaborative approach that respected the role of property owners while ensuring renters received the support they needed to succeed.
The effort was spearheaded by City Councilor Brook Bassan, whose leadership and commitment to pragmatic and fair housing solutions brought together stakeholders to create a program that was helpful to both landlords and renters.
Just as important was how the city built the solution. Instead of simply issuing a traditional RFP and outsourcing design, staff, with the support of Carmichael Consultants, developed the Landlord Engagement Program (LEP). The process centered stakeholder engagement, which included engagement with landlords, the Apartment Association of New Mexico, housing advocacy groups and people with lived experience renting with a voucher. Key stakeholder input informed the data-driven decision-making process and shaped a program that addressed real barriers for housing voucher holders in securing housing, reflected community needs and focused on results.
Turning Landlords into Partners
The Landlord Engagement Program operates on a simple premise: landlords are essential partners in addressing homelessness and housing instability. Administered by the Department of Health, Housing & Homelessness with support from the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness (NMCEH) and Housing New Mexico, the program builds bridges between property owners and housing programs.
By pairing legal protections with the practical support of the LEP, Albuquerque shifted the dynamic from regulation to collaboration, making participation easier, safer and more rewarding for landlords, while giving renters tools they need to succeed.
Incentives and Support That Make a Difference
To reduce risk and expand participation, LEP offers financial incentives and resources that support both landlords and renters:
- Damage Reimbursement: Up to $3,000 for repairs beyond the security deposit.
- Unit Improvement Assistance: Up to $1,000 for small upgrades that make a unit move-in ready, and able to pass housing quality standards inspections.
- Vacancy Loss Coverage: Up to one month’s rent to offset lost income while leasing to a voucher holder or waiting to complete extra paperwork housing vouchers require.
- Flex Funds, Including Start-Up Assistance: Up to $500 for flexible individual issues, including initial leasing costs, including pet deposits.
The program also recognizes that many renters face financial hurdles beyond rent. Flex Funds have proven to be crucial to cover unanticipated funding gaps or move-in costs, such as pet deposits, paying off overdue utility bills required for lease eligibility and even provide rental deposit assistance, often the difference between a rejected application and a signed lease.
In addition, landlords receive ongoing support from a dedicated Landlord Liaison team who helps to navigate paperwork, coordinate with housing providers and quickly respond to issues. Landlord Liaisons are also tasked with reaching out to landlords and property managers to recruit them into the program and expand rental options for housing voucher recipients. These efforts have added new housing stock to the supply of potential rentable units for voucher holders, while the city engages in ongoing efforts to build new units.
Creating Real Housing Opportunities
Since its launch, LEP has become a cornerstone of Albuquerque’s housing strategy. It has expanded the pool of available rental units, made it easier to place individuals and families into stable housing and strengthened relationships with the private rental market.
By treating landlords as partners and investing in the success of renters, the city has shown that collaborative approaches can break down barriers and deliver meaningful results. The program is especially impactful for Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) and other voucher-based initiatives, where landlord participation is critical.
Lessons Learned & Tips for Other Cities
Albuquerque’s experience offers key insights for communities looking to build or improve their own landlord engagement efforts:
- Pair Policy with Partnership: Legal protections work best when combined with proactive support.
- Make Risk-Sharing Central: Incentives that address landlords’ biggest concerns drive participation.
- Invest in Relationships: Dedicated staff build trust and improve outcomes.
- Streamline Processes: Fast reimbursements, which usually happen within a week in Albuquerque, and simple paperwork keep the program accessible.
- Flexibility: Flex funds are essential for addressing unexpected and/or uncommon issues. There is also flexibility to increase reimbursements in special situations.
- Design With Stakeholders & Invest in Experts: Involving landlords, advocates and people with lived experience, and experts like the consultants the city used, in this case Carmichael Consultants, who know how to build these programs, leads to more effective solutions. Unfortunately, there are some program models and ways to build landlord programs that can seem like intuitive, but without stakeholder input and investment with design experts, the models can still seriously limit success. All communities are different, so finding the issues that are central to a specific community and their landlords is key.
Looking Ahead
The Landlord Engagement Program shows that expanding housing opportunities isn’t just about passing laws, it’s about building partnerships. By sharing risks, listening to stakeholders and supporting both landlords and renters, Albuquerque created a model that opens doors for thousands of residents who need them most.
As housing challenges continue to grow nationwide, programs like LEP offer a scalable, proven strategy for creating more inclusive, equitable, fiscally responsible and sustainable housing systems.
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- Ayesha Mehrotra