Rep. Barney Frank: ‘I shouldn’t be a homeowner’

The chairman of the House Financial Services Committee wields a gavel with jurisdiction over the nation’s housing industry. But he’s not a homeowner. And he likes it that way.

In a speech Friday to three real estate groups, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said that despite having owned condominiums before, he prefers to rent his living space. Or spaces, as it were.

Frank classified himself as a double renter — he has an apartment in Washington and one in Newton, Mass.

“Given my personality and my work demands, I shouldn’t be a homeowner,” he said.

“I don’t want to be in the middle of a committee session and be told the pipes broke or the roof is leaking or this or that. I need when that happens to be able to call somebody and say, ‘Please fix it and call me when I can come home.’ ”

Frank was addressing the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, the National Association of Real Estate Brokers and the Asian Real Estate Association of America.

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