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District of ColumbiaB26-0164Council Period 26 (2025-2026)HouseWALLET

Rebalancing Expectations for Neighbors, Tenants, and Landlords (RENTAL) Act of 2025

Sponsored By: Phil Mendelson (Democratic)

Became Law

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

19 provisions identified: 8 benefits, 0 costs, 11 mixed.

Pay and training for housing board

Each Commissioner receives $8,000 per year. The Chair gets an extra $4,000 per year. Stipends are paid at least quarterly and prorated. Reasonable travel and other official costs are reimbursed. Commissioners must finish initial training within 90 days and complete at least four hours of training each quarter. The Board sets reimbursement limits and the Authority pays approved costs.

Changes to DC low‑income housing credits

Owners of eligible projects can claim a District low‑income housing tax credit, capped at 9% of the project’s qualified basis each year. A project counts as qualified only if it got a federal credit allocation after October 1, 2021, has an extended low‑income commitment signed on or after October 1, 2021, and the Department issued an eligibility statement on or before September 30, 2024. If you transfer the credit, you must file an affidavit saying the money supports the project’s financial feasibility. Some program dates move earlier, from October 1, 2025 to October 1, 2024, where those dates apply.

Bigger refunds after unlawful housing charges

If you lose money from a violation of section 416, you can recover your actual losses. You also get twice the illegal interest collected and reasonable attorneys’ fees. This remedy is now in effect.

Buy and resell inclusionary units

The Inclusionary Zoning Authority can buy or help buy inclusionary units and resell them to eligible households. This helps qualifying renters or buyers access affordable units.

More say and safeguards for residents

If your public housing is being repositioned (like RAD or Section 18), residents help shape plans. At least 25% of the advisory team are residents, and the Authority must hold at least two meetings with 15 days’ notice before applying. Written plans and schedules must be shared, and units reserved for extremely low‑income households must exceed preexisting affordable units. The Executive Director must give written status updates to the Board and Council on how resident‑protection rules are met. You also get stronger rights: you can file complaints; leases end only for serious or repeated material violations; 30 days’ notice is generally required; and you must be relocated from life‑safety emergencies.

No pressure, clear info for tenants

Anyone contacting tenants about a TOPA deal must disclose who owns their company and any financial ties to the property. Owners and buyers may not interfere, coerce, retaliate, or mislead you about your TOPA rights or free training. Tenant groups and tenants face short cooling‑off periods unless they complete approved training and registration. After that, you can assign or sell your TOPA rights to any party for any deal you accept. If you sell your rights and then move, you still get the payment. You can sue to enforce TOPA and, if you win, recover costs and reasonable attorney fees.

New public housing board and limits

The law creates a nine‑member Board to run the Housing Authority: two resident‑elected and seven Mayor‑appointed with Council approval. Past Stabilization and Reform Board members become interim Commissioners until replaced or reappointed. No one may serve more than nine total years on the Board. Residents elect one Commissioner by December 31, 2025 and every three years after, and another by December 31, 2026 and every three years after. The Mayor must nominate by October 1, 2025, then October 1, 2026 and October 1, 2027, and every three years after, for required experience seats.

Certified buyers and assigned purchase rights

For the first 4 years after this part starts, some pre‑approved developers are certified as qualified purchasers. The Mayor sets criteria, accepts rolling applications, and keeps a public list, and can limit or revoke certifications. The Mayor can give the District’s TOPA purchase right to a certified buyer who agrees to keep required affordability.

Court can order rent into registry

In nonpayment cases, either side can ask the court to order monthly rent paid into the court registry until the case ends. The court uses the rent ledger for a preliminary order, sets a hearing on defenses or housing‑code issues, and tells tenants about common defenses.

Eviction rules for violent-crime cases

If a court finds by a preponderance that a tenant or occupant committed a dangerous crime, the court must grant possession and issue a writ. Tenants have new defenses: you can avoid eviction if you did not know, took reasonable steps to stop it, or were a victim.

Faster evictions for violent or illegal acts

Landlords can seek possession if a tenant or occupant commits an illegal act. They must give a 30-day notice in most cases. If a non‑tenant occupant did it, the tenant can be evicted only if the tenant knew or should have known. For alleged dangerous or violent crimes not in self‑defense, the notice is 10 days and the court holds a hearing within 20 days. Housing providers must consider alternatives to keep people housed before eviction in those violent‑crime cases.

Stronger tenant notices and proof

Owners must deliver offers of sale to each tenant and give the Mayor a copy the same day. Use certified or tracked mail and also hand‑deliver or post the notice on the door. If units have oral leases, the owner must post a city notice; residents have 15 days to give proof of tenancy. If no purchase chance is offered, the owner must send a Notice of Transfer to the Mayor and tenants. Tenants then have 45 days after they get the notice to file for relief. Notices must explain tenant rights, any rent or management changes, and any subsidies like LIHTC with the steps used. If an owner skips or lies in the notice, the transfer is presumed a sale unless the owner proves otherwise. Within 5 days of any request, the Mayor gives written certifications and copies of notices.

Stronger tenant purchase rules and savings

Offers of sale must tell tenants about their right to buy and list all Mayor‑approved, no‑cost tenant support providers. A tenant’s purchase rights start when they receive the offer; people who move in after the offer do not get these rights. Secondary reassignments of assigned tenant rights are tightly limited, and no one can be paid for a secondary reassignment. Deeds to a qualified purchaser who received tenant or District purchase rights are exempt from the deed recordation tax.

Which building sales trigger tenant rights

The law clarifies what counts as a sale under TOPA, including indirect deals, master leases, and majority‑interest transfers. It also lists many transfers that are exempt, like estate, family, foreclosure, tax sale, bankruptcy, some LIHTC steps, DCHA, and new buildings within 15 years. Small 2–4 unit homes not majority‑owned by a business corporation are mostly exempt; tenants still get notice and section 409(b) rights. Owners must prove any claimed exemption and must tell new renters when an exemption applies. The law defines who is a tenant, owner, qualified purchaser, and tenant support provider.

City-certified help for tenant purchases

The Mayor certifies tenant support providers for skills like forming tenant groups, homebuyer help, financing, and closings. Certifications last 4 years and appear on a public list. Certified providers cannot have conflicts of interest. The Mayor can investigate and limit, suspend, or revoke certifications.

Stronger oversight and more open meetings

The Board elects its own Chair. It can require leaders to report and resolve conflicts of interest, including disclosure, recusal, or divestment. The Board must meet at least 10 times a year and allow public comment at each meeting. Total comment time is unlimited, but individual speaking time may be reasonably limited. A quorum is five Commissioners, and meetings follow the Open Meetings Act.

File deals and see TOPA data

Parties must file key TOPA deal details with the Department within 30 days after all sign, or the deal is invalid. The Department sets a standard contract template within 180 days; using it is optional. Within one year of this section applying, the Mayor builds a public, searchable TOPA database for new deals, but not before closing. TOPA submissions are confidential under public‑records law, though the Mayor can publish analyses. Within 5 business days after receiving an offer, the Mayor shares it with certified tenant help groups and qualified purchasers.

Shorter notices and more judge discretion

Minimum notice under one section drops from 30 days to at least 10 days. Another service window is now at least 14 days, not 30 days excluding Sundays and holidays. Judges can dismiss a case or allow the filer to fix defects after weighing harm to all parties. Courts have this discretion in both rental and Chapter 15 cases.

When this housing law takes effect

The act takes effect after the Mayor approves it (or the Council overrides a veto) and after a 30‑day congressional review. Some amended sections apply only once their costs are included in an approved budget and financial plan. The CFO certifies that date and the Council’s Budget Director publishes the notice. Publication does not change the applicability date.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsor

  • Phil Mendelson

    Democratic • House

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 153 • No: 113

House vote • 10/21/2025

Other

Yes: 4 • No: 9

House vote • 10/21/2025

Other

Yes: 13 • No: 0

House vote • 10/21/2025

Final Reading

Yes: 10 • No: 3

House vote • 10/21/2025

Other

Yes: 9 • No: 4

House vote • 9/17/2025

Other

Yes: 10 • No: 3

House vote • 9/17/2025

Other

Yes: 1 • No: 12

House vote • 9/17/2025

Other

Yes: 8 • No: 5

House vote • 9/17/2025

Other

Yes: 10 • No: 3

House vote • 9/17/2025

Other

Yes: 5 • No: 8

House vote • 9/17/2025

Other

Yes: 1 • No: 12

House vote • 9/17/2025

Other

Yes: 3 • No: 10

House vote • 9/17/2025

Other

Yes: 8 • No: 5

House vote • 9/17/2025

Final Reading

Yes: 10 • No: 3

House vote • 9/17/2025

Other

Yes: 13 • No: 0

House vote • 7/28/2025

Other

Yes: 10 • No: 2

House vote • 7/28/2025

Other

Yes: 4 • No: 8

House vote • 7/28/2025

Other

Yes: 6 • No: 6

House vote • 7/28/2025

First Reading

Yes: 10 • No: 2

House vote • 7/28/2025

Other

Yes: 2 • No: 10

House vote • 7/28/2025

Other

Yes: 5 • No: 7

House vote • 7/14/2025

Postponed to

Yes: 11 • No: 1

Actions Timeline

  1. Law L26-0080, Effective from Dec 31, 2025 Published in DC Register Vol 73 and Page 000613

    1/23/2026House

  2. Act A26-0199 Published in DC Register Vol 72 and Page 012894

    11/21/2025House

  3. Transmitted to Congress

    11/17/2025House

  4. Returned from Mayor

    11/13/2025House

  5. Signed by the Mayor and Enacted with Act Number A26-0199

    11/13/2025House

  6. Transmitted to Mayor, Response Due on Nov 14, 2025

    10/30/2025House

  7. Legislative Meeting

    10/21/2025House

  8. Legislative Meeting

    10/7/2025House

  9. Legislative Meeting

    9/17/2025House

  10. Legislative Meeting

    7/28/2025House

  11. Legislative Meeting

    7/14/2025House

  12. Committee Report Filed by the Housing Committee

    7/9/2025House

  13. Committee Mark-up of B26-0164 by the Housing Committee

    7/9/2025House

  14. Notice of Mark-up filed in the Office of Secretary

    7/8/2025House

  15. Public Hearing on B26-0164 View Public Hearing Record

    5/28/2025House

  16. Notice of Public Hearing Published in the District of Columbia Register

    5/9/2025House

  17. Notice of Public Hearing filed in the Office of Secretary by Housing

    5/6/2025House

  18. Committee Report Filed by the Human Services Committee

    3/26/2025House

  19. Committee Mark-up of B26-0164 by the Human Services Committee

    3/25/2025House

  20. Referred to Committee on Housing, Committee on Human Services, and Committee of the Whole

    3/18/2025House

  21. Notice of Intent to Act on B26-0164 Published in the District of Columbia Register

    3/14/2025House

  22. B26-0164 Introduced by Chairman Mendelson at Office of the Secretary

    3/3/2025House

Bill Text

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