Thank you to our Council partners who opposed this bill.

Wednesday night marked a significant victory at the Albuquerque City Council meeting, underscoring the importance of collaboration and thoughtful decision-making in housing policy. GAAR appreciates the time and care councilors and stakeholders devoted to evaluating the real-world impacts of Ordinance O-25-102.

Special thanks to Councilors Champine, Grout, Peña, Lewis, and Bassan for their continued engagement and leadership. Their work helped ensure the discussion focused on:

• implementation and enforcement authority,
• due process and unintended consequences,
• and practical impacts on tenants and housing providers.

REALTORS® care deeply about tenants. We recognize that:

• unnecessary fees function like a tax on renters,
• added costs delay families’ ability to save and become homeowners,
• and long-term housing stability depends on fair, predictable practices.

At the same time, REALTORS® acknowledge that Senate Bill 267 already provides meaningful tenant protections, including fee limits and disclosure requirements. Moving forward, GAAR believes the most effective approach is to:

• work collaboratively with the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office, and
• focus on the proper implementation and enforcement of SB 267,
• rather than creating overlapping local enforcement systems.

GAAR would also like to thank Councilor Nichole Rogers for her willingness to engage directly with our organization and with our coalition partners throughout this process. We appreciate the time she invested in working with GAAR and the Apartment Association of New Mexico to explore potential amendments and to try to identify a version of the ordinance that could work for all parties. While consensus was ultimately not reached, we value her openness to dialogue and remain committed to continued collaboration on housing policies that are fair, effective, and legally sound.