Nevada has one of the nation's slowest housing supply pipelines and rising costs. Both candidates for governor want to change that, but they've proposed different ways to do it.
Housing supply has become a keystone of both candidates' policy proposals. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo and Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford both want more housing construction and additional assistance for prospective buyers.
Lombardo, the incumbent, signed a major housing law in 2025 that committed $133 million to housing development and homeownership programs. Ford wants to build more homes while restricting some corporate purchases of single-family properties and expanding renter protections.
Lombardo vs. Ford Housing Plans
Both candidates say that Nevada needs more housing, especially homes that first-time homebuyers can actually afford.
Lombardo's approach focuses on state-supported development and infrastructure financing. His administration has already begun distributing funding under the Nevada Housing Access and Attainability Act.
Ford's housing plan also supports additional construction, but proposes more direct intervention in the housing market through corporate ownership restrictions, rental assistance and tenant protections.
| Who Is Affected? |
Joe Lombardo's Proposals |
Aaron Ford's Proposals |
| First-time homebuyers |
State-funded homeownership assistance, including programs for qualifying essential workers. |
Expanded down payment assistance and proposed restrictions on certain corporate buyers. |
| Housing developers |
Development financing, infrastructure support and incentives for local governments. |
Faster permitting and additional opportunities to develop underused land. |
| Renters |
State-supported housing development intended to expand rental and ownership opportunities. |
Rental assistance, security deposit restrictions and limits on certain rental fees. |
| Corporate investors |
Has opposed caps on corporate home purchases, which aren't part of his 2025 housing law. |
Proposed limits on corporate single-family home purchases and a landlord registry. |
Joe Lombardo's Housing Affordability Proposals
Lombardo's housing record centers on Assembly Bill 540, the Nevada Housing Access and Attainability Act, which he signed in June 2025.
The law appropriated $133 million to the Nevada Attainable Housing Account, an initiative intended to support housing construction, homeownership assistance and local development incentives.
The Nevada Housing Division says the funding covers three areas: housing development, homeownership assistance and matching funds for local government incentives. Division officials have described the split as $83 million, $25 million and $25 million, respectively.
The law also provides authority for up to $50 million in infrastructure bonds intended to support qualifying development. Lombardo also wants to streamline certain permitting and contractor requirements to reduce construction delays.
In October 2026, the governor's office announced approximately $38 million in funding approvals for 10 developments expected to support 891 housing units.
Lombardo has opposed caps on corporate homebuying. In 2023, he vetoed a bill that would have limited corporate investors to 1,000 home purchases a year, saying it would likely worsen the state's housing availability. In 2025, he asked Republican lawmakers to block a revived version with a 100-home cap.
Aaron Ford's Housing Affordability Proposals
Ford's published housing agenda proposes increasing construction while placing new restrictions on certain corporate homebuyers and landlords.
One of his central proposals would limit the number of single-family homes corporate investors can purchase annually.
Restrictions could reduce competition for some properties. But they wouldn't create additional housing, and their consequences for the rental market would depend on exemptions and how investors respond.
He also wants a corporate landlord registry and policies giving qualifying tenants an opportunity to purchase the homes they rent before those properties are sold to other buyers.
His other housing proposals include additional down payment assistance, rental support and measures intended to reduce the upfront expenses renters face when moving. He also wants to limit security deposits to one month's rent and restrict certain rental fees.
He also wants to ban landlords from using algorithmic rent-setting software, which has faced scrutiny over concerns that shared pricing systems can facilitate anticompetitive conduct.
Nevada's Housing Shortage Presents a Challenge for Either Candidate
Neither candidate could implement every part of his housing agenda independently.
Nevada's governor can propose legislation, recommend spending and oversee state housing agencies. But major funding commitments and statewide restrictions on property ownership or landlord practices require legislative approval.
Local governments also control important parts of the development process, including zoning, permitting and infrastructure approvals.
And Nevada faces another obstacle that distinguishes its housing market from many other states: extensive federal land ownership.
The Bureau of Land Management manages a large amount of land across Nevada. In and around growing communities, development can depend on federal land disposal or other approvals that the governor cannot authorize alone.
Releasing additional federal land could increase development opportunities in some locations, but the land would still need infrastructure, local approvals and construction financing.
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