District of Columbia Administrative Code

4102 REGISTRATION INFORMATION 4102.1 Each rental unit required to be registered by this chapter shall be listed on a Registration/Claim of Exemption Form filed with the Rental Accommodations Division in accordance with § 3901 for the housing accommodation of which the rental unit…

4103 CHANGES TO REGISTRATION/CLAIM OF EXEMPTION FORMS 4103.1 A housing provider of a rental unit or units covered by the Act shall file an amendment to the Registration/Claim of Exemption Form, on a form provided by the Rent Administrator, in the following circumstances: (a) With…

4104 DEFECTIVE REGISTRATION 4104.1 The Rent Administrator shall review each Registration/Claim of Exemption Form after accepting it for filing in accordance with § 4102.10 in order to determine if the form has been properly completed. 4104.2 If the Rent Administrator determines a…

4105 EXCLUSIONS FROM COVERAGE BY THE ACT 4105.1 A rental unit shall be excluded from coverage of the Act, pursuant to § 205(e) of the Act (D.C. Official Code § 42-3502.05(e)), under the following circumstances: (a) If the rental unit is operated by a foreign government as a resid…

4106 CLAIMS OF EXEMPTION FROM RENT STABILIZATION PROGRAM 4106.1 A housing provider who claims that a rental unit is exempt from the Rent Stabilization Program shall file a Registration/Claim of Exemption Form with the Rent Administrator in accordance with § 4101. All rental units…

4107 SMALL LANDLORD EXEMPTION 4107.1 A rental unit may be exempt from the Rent Stabilization Program pursuant to § 205(a)(3) of the Act (D.C. Official Code § 42-3502.05(a)(3)) (the small landlord exemption) if: (a) A Registration/Claim of Exemption Form is filed with the Rental A…

4108 COOPERATIVE EXEMPTION 4108.1 A rental unit may be exempt from the Rent Stabilization Program under § 205(a)(5) of the Act (D.C. Official Code § 42-3502.05(a)(5)) (the cooperative exemption) if: (a) The building, structure, or housing accommodation of which the rental unit is…

4110 [REPEALED] SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 68 DCR 012634 (December 3, 2021); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 72 DCR 011112 (October 10, 2025). District of Columbia Municipal Regulations Housing 14 DCMR § 4110 AUTHORITY: DC-DCMR Section 202(a)(1) of the Rent…

4111 DISCLOSURES TO PROSPECTIVE AND CURRENT TENANTS 4111.1 The tenant of any rental unit covered by the Act, as provided by § 4100.3, shall have the right to request, in writing, no more than one time in each calendar year, that the housing provider disclose, on a form published …

4199 DEFINITIONS 4199.1 The provisions of § 3899 of Chapter 38 of this title and the definitions set forth in that chapter shall be applicable to this chapter. 4199.2 The provisions of § 3816 of Chapter 38 of this title shall be applicable to the calculation of any time periods p…

4200 GENERAL OVERVIEW 4200.1 This chapter implements the Rent Stabilization Program, established by Title II of the Rental Housing Act of 1985 (“Act”), by regulating rent adjustments for covered rental units. The Rent Stabilization Program restricts when rent may be increased and…

4201 BASE RENT AND INITIAL LAWFUL RENT 4201.1 Pursuant to § 103(4) of the Act (D.C. Official Code § 42-3501.03(4)), the “base rent” for each rental unit covered by the Rent Stabilization Program on July 17, 1985, the effective date of the Act, was the rent ceiling for the unit as…

4202 LAWFUL RENT UPON TERMINATION OF EXCLUSION 4202.1 For any rental unit previously excluded from coverage under the Act by § 205(e) of the Act and § 4105 of this title, the initial, lawful rent shall be determined in accordance with this section upon the occurrence of any event…

4203 LAWFUL RENT UPON TERMINATION OF EXEMPTION 4203.1 For any rental unit previously exempt from the Rent Stabilization Program by § 205(a) of the Act (D.C. Official Code § 42-3502.05(a)) and § 4106 of this title, the initial rent that may be charged shall be determined in accord…

4204 AUTHORIZATION AND FILING OF RENT ADJUSTMENTS GENERALLY 4204.1 The rent for a rental unit covered by the Rent Stabilization Program may be increased no more than once every twelve (12) months, and no rent increase shall exceed the dollar amount authorized or required by one (…

4205 IMPLEMENTATION AND NOTICE OF RENT ADJUSTMENTS 4205.1 If at any time the rent charged to a tenant for a rental unit covered by the Rent Stabilization Program exceeds the lawful rent for the rental unit, or if a rent rollback is ordered by the Rent Administrator, Office of Adm…

4206 ANNUAL RENT ADJUSTMENTS OF GENERAL APPLICABILITY 4206.1 An adjustment of general applicability, as provided by § 206(b) of the Act (D.C. Official Code § 42-3502.06(b)), is an authorized increase in the rent charged for a rental unit that is covered by the Rent Stabilization …

4207 VACANCY RENT ADJUSTMENTS 4207.1 A vacancy adjustment, authorized by § 213 of the Act (D.C. Official Code § 42-3502.13), is an increase in the maximum, lawful rent that may be demanded from, received from, or charged to a new tenant for a rental unit that may be taken by a ho…

4208 RENT ADJUSTMENTS BY HOUSING PROVIDER PETITION 4208.1 A rent adjustment shall not be implemented pursuant to § 210 (capital improvement), § 211 (services or facilities), § 212 (hardship), or § 214 (substantial rehabilitation) of the Act (D.C. Official Code §§ 42‑3502.10, ‑.11…

4209 PETITIONS BASED ON CLAIM OF HARDSHIP 4209.1 A housing provider who elects not to implement the rent adjustment of general applicability under § 206(b) of the Act in a particular year may petition the Rent Administrator once during the year for a rent adjustment authorized by…

4210 PETITIONS BASED ON CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS 4210.1 A housing provider may petition the Rent Administrator for a rent adjustment under § 210 of the Act (D.C. Official Code § 42-3502.10) (“capital improvement petition”), which shall be in the form of a temporary rent surcharge, to…

4211 PETITIONS FOR CHANGES IN RELATED SERVICES OR FACILITIES 4211.1 A housing provider who has changed or proposes to change any related service or facility provided to a rental unit or housing accommodation may petition the Rent Administrator for a rent adjustment under § 211 of…

4212 PETITIONS BASED ON SUBSTANTIAL REHABILITATION 4212.1 A housing provider who proposes to substantially rehabilitate a housing accommodation may petition the Rent Administrator for a rent adjustment under § 214 of the Act (D.C. Official Code § 42-3502.14) (“substantial rehabil…

4213 RENT ADJUSTMENTS BY VOLUNTARY AGREEMENT 4213.1 Seventy percent (70%) or more of the tenants of a housing accommodation, not including tenants of units exempt from the Rent Stabilization Program for any reason under § 4106, may enter into a voluntary agreement with the housin…

4214 TENANT PETITIONS 4214.1 The tenant of a rental unit covered by the Rent Stabilization Program, as provided in § 4200.3, or a tenant association at a covered housing accommodation may, by filing a petition with the Rent Administrator, contest the rent for a rental unit on one…

4215 PROHIBITED RENT ADJUSTMENTS FOR ELDERLY TENANTS AND TENANTS WITH A DISABILITY 4215.1 An approved rent surcharge for which petition was approved after October 1, 2018, shall not be implemented on and shall be removed from a rental unit while the unit is occupied by an elderly…

4216 REQUIREMENT TO MAINTAIN SUBSTANTIAL COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSING REGULATIONS 4216.1 Any petition or application for a rent adjustment under §§ 4208 or 4213 shall be filed, and any rent adjustment authorized under §§ 4204 and 4205 shall be implemented, only if each affected rental…

4217 ENFORCEMENT, REMEDIES, AND PENALTIES 4217.1 If it is determined, pursuant to a tenant petition filed in accordance with § 4214, that a housing provider knowingly demanded or received rent from a tenant greater than the lawful rent for a rental unit, or knowingly substantiall…

4218 [REPEALED] SOURCE: Notice of Final Rulemaking published at 33 DCR 1336, 1418 (March 7, 1986); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 68 DCR 012634 (December 3, 2021). District of Columbia Municipal Regulations Housing 14 DCMR § 4218 AUTHORITY: DC-DCMR Section 202(a)(1) …

4299 DEFINITIONS 4299.1 The provisions of § 3899 of Chapter 38 of this title and the definitions set forth in that chapter shall be applicable to this chapter. 4299.2 The provisions of § 3816 of Chapter 38 of this title shall be applicable to the calculation of any time periods p…

4300 NONPAYMENT OF RENT AND OTHER GROUNDS FOR EVICTION GENERALLY 4300.1 Except as provided by § 4300.2, a tenant of any rental unit covered by the Act, as provided in § 4100.3, shall not be evicted from the rental unit except for: (a) Nonpayment of rent, pursuant to § 501(a-1) of…

4301 NOTICES TO CORRECT VIOLATION OF TENANCY OR TO VACATE 4301.1 If a housing provider seeks to evict a tenant from a rental unit pursuant to § 501(b) of the Act (D.C. Official Code § 42-3505.01(b)) because the tenant is violating an obligation of tenancy, the housing provider sh…

4302 NOTICES TO VACATE FOR OTHER REASONS 4302.1 In order to be valid, a notice to vacate for any reason listed in §§ 501(c) through (i) of the Act (D.C. Official Code § 42-3505.01(c)-(i)) (“Notice to Vacate”) shall state: (a) The factual basis the housing provider relies on, in s…

4303 RETALIATION 4303.1 A housing provider shall not take an action against a tenant, as provided in § 4303.2, with the intent to injure or get back at a tenant in response to the tenant’s exercise of any right conferred upon the tenant by law (“retaliatory intent”). 4303.2 Actio…

4304 TENANT RIGHTS TO ORGANIZE 4304.1 In accordance with § 506 of the Act (D.C. Official Code § 42-3505.06), every tenant in a housing accommodation covered by the Act, as provided by § 4100.3, shall have the right to: (a) Self-organize; (b) Form, join, meet, or assist one anothe…

4305 TERMINATION OF LEASE BY VICTIM OF INTRAFAMILY OFFENSE 4305.1 Pursuant to § 507 of the Act (D.C. Official Code § 42-3505.07), a housing provider shall release a tenant from the obligations of the tenant’s lease or rental agreement if the tenant gives written notice, in any fo…

4306 LATE FEES 4306.1 No late fee shall be charged to a tenant of a rental unit covered by the Act unless a valid, written lease for the tenant’s rental unit explicitly states: (a) The grace period after the regular due date of the rent by which the rent due must be paid to avoid…

4307 TENANT APPLICATIONS AND SCREENING 4307.1 Any housing provider that requires an application or fees from a prospective tenant or otherwise engages in any tenant screening shall comply with § 510 of the Act (D.C. Official Code § 42-3505.10) and this section. 4307.2 Before requ…

4399 DEFINITIONS 4399.1 The provisions of § 3899 of Chapter 38 of this title and the definitions set forth in that section shall be applicable to this chapter. 4399.2 In addition to § 4399.1, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below: Adverse action – (a) Denial…

4400 DEMOLITION AND CONVERSION 4400.1 If a housing provider requests a permit to demolish a housing accommodation by filing an application with the Department of Buildings, a copy of the application shall be filed with the Rent Administrator. 4400.2 The housing provider shall fil…

4401 RELOCATION ASSISTANCE 4401.1 Each tenant displaced by actions taken under §§ 501(f), (g), (h), or (i) of the Act (D.C. Official Code §§ 42-3505.01(f), (g), (h), or (i)) shall receive a monetary payment of relocation assistance from the housing provider pursuant to the provis…

4499 DEFINITIONS 4499.1 The provisions and definitions of § 3899 of Chapter 38 of this title shall be applicable to this chapter. SOURCE: Notice of Final Rulemaking published at 33 DCR 1336, 1435 (March 7, 1986); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 68 DCR 012634 (December…

4700 AUTHORITY 4700.1 The rules of this chapter are adopted pursuant to the provisions of the Rental Housing Conversion and Sale Act of 1980 (D.C. Law 3-86). AUTHORITY: Unless otherwise noted, the authority for this chapter is § 501(a) of the Rental Housing Conversion and Sale Ac…

4701 REQUEST FOR ELECTION AND CERTIFICATION 4701.1 An owner of a housing accommodation who wishes to convert shall provide to each tenant household and to the Conversion and Sale Regulatory Office a request for election. 4701.2 The request shall be sent by first class mail to the…

4702 SCHEDULING AND CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS 4702.1 After receipt of a request for election, a tenant organization, if one exists or is established, may give notice and conduct an election. 4702.2 Within thirty (30) days of receipt of the owner’s request for election and after coordi…

4703 CONFIRMATION OF ELECTION 4703.1 If more than fifty percent (50%) of the total number of qualified voters on the Qualified Voters List as determined by the Conversion and Sale Regulatory Office vote for approval of the conversion, the Conversion and Sale Regulatory Office sha…

4704 CONVERSION OF THE HOUSING ACCOMMODATION 4704.1 Within fifteen (15) business days of receipt of the confirmation of the results of an election pursuant to § 4703.1 or a verification in lieu of election under § 4702.16, the owner shall pay the conversion fee under § 4704.6. 47…

4705 NOTICE OF INTENT TO CONVERT 4705.1 The owner shall provide each of the tenants or subtenants of the housing accommodation at least one hundred twenty (120) days notice of intent to convert to cooperative or condominium ownership. The notice shall be in a form approved by the…

4706 ELDERLY TENANCY 4706.1 The owner of a housing accommodation shall allow a tenant found eligible pursuant to § 4710.7 to remain as a tenant. 4706.2 The amount of rent shall be the lawful rent at the time of the request for election, plus any annual increases allowed pursuant …