Title 42, Real Property.

(a) Rent ceilings are abolished, except that the housing provider may implement, in accordance with § 42-3502.08(g), rent ceiling adjustments pursuant to petitions and voluntary agreements approved by the Rent Administrator prior to August 5, 2006. Petitions and voluntary agreeme…

(a)(1) Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter, the rent for any rental unit shall not be increased above the base rent unless: (A) The rental unit and the common elements are in substantial compliance with the housing regulations, if noncompliance is not the result of tena…

(a) Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, the rent charged for any rental unit in a housing accommodation exempted by § 42-3502.05, except subsection (a)(2) or (a)(7) of that section, upon the expiration or termination of the exemption, shall be the average rent c…

(a) On petition by the housing provider, the Rent Administrator may approve a rent adjustment to cover the cost of capital improvements to a rental unit or housing accommodation if: (1) The improvement would protect or enhance the health, safety, and security of the tenants or th…

If the Rent Administrator determines that the related services or related facilities supplied by a housing provider for a housing accommodation or for any rental unit in the housing accommodation are substantially increased or decreased, the Rent Administrator may increase or dec…

(a) Where an election has been made under § 42-3502.06(c) to seek a rent adjustment through a hardship petition, the Rent Administrator shall, after review of the figures and computations set forth in the housing provider’s petition, allow additional increases in rent which would…

(a) When a tenant vacates a rental unit on the tenant’s own initiative or as a result of a notice to vacate for nonpayment of rent, violation of an obligation of the tenant’s tenancy, or use of the rental unit for illegal purpose or purposes as determined by a court of competent …

(a) If the Rent Administrator determines that (1) a rental unit is to be substantially rehabilitated, and (2) the rehabilitation is in the interest of the tenants of the unit and the housing accommodation in which the unit is located, the Rent Administrator may approve, contingen…

(a) Seventy percent or more of the tenants of a housing accommodation may enter into a voluntary agreement with the housing provider: (1) To establish the rent charged; (2) To alter levels of related services and facilities; and (3) To provide for capital improvements and the eli…

(a) The Rent Administrator shall consider adjustments allowed by §§ 42-3502.10, 42-3502.11, 42-3502.12, 42-3502.13, and 42-3502.14 or a challenge to a § 42-3502.06 adjustment, upon a petition filed by the housing provider or tenant. The petition shall be filed with the Rent Admin…

(a) A tenant organization shall have standing to assert a claim in its name on behalf of one or more of its members in any petition filed pursuant to this chapter, or under Chapters 39 or 40 of Title 14 of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations, whether initiated by or ag…

(a) No person shall demand or receive a security deposit from any tenant for a rental unit occupied by the tenant upon July 17, 1985, where no security deposit had been demanded or received of the tenant for the rental unit before July 17, 1985, but this provision shall not preve…

The Rental Housing Commission, Rent Administrator, or any affected housing provider or tenant may commence a civil action in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to enforce any rule or decision issued under this chapter.

Any person or class of persons aggrieved by a decision of the Rental Housing Commission, or by any failure on the part of the Rental Housing Commission or Rent Administrator to act within any time certain mandated by this chapter, may seek judicial review of the decision or an or…

(a) No later than October 1, 1988, the Mayor shall report to the Council on the continued need for the rent stabilization program. (b) The report shall be prepared by a person not affiliated with the District government and shall contain: (1) The number of new and renovated units…

(a) Upon the issuance of any building permit for a housing accommodation to which § 42-3502.05(a)(2) or (4) applies after July 17, 1985, the Mayor shall at the request of the recipient of the building permit issue to the recipient thereof concurrently with the building permit a c…

(a) At the written request of a tenant not more than one time each calendar year, a housing provider shall, within 10 business days on a form provided by the Rent Administrator (or in another suitable format until a form is published), provide the amount of each increase in the a…

The Mayor shall include in the reports to the Council pursuant to § 6-1054, analyses of the need, means, and methods of further assisting income qualified elderly tenants, disabled tenants, teachers of the District of Columbia Public Schools or a District of Columbia Public Chart…

For the purpose of this subchapter, the term: (1) “Annual adjusted income” means income that remains after excluding: (A) Four hundred eighty dollars ($480) for each member of the family residing in the household, other than the head of the household or spouse, who is under 18 ye…

(a) For the purpose of aiding lower-income families in obtaining a decent place to live, the Mayor shall formulate and administer a Tenant Assistance Program as provided in this subchapter. (b) There is authorized to be appropriated at least $15 million for fiscal year 1987 with …

(a) The Mayor may enter into contracts to make rental assistance payments to housing providers of rental dwelling units on behalf of eligible families in accordance with this section. Unit A of Chapter 3 of Title 2 shall not apply to the contracts authorized by this subchapter. (…

(1) The amount of the tenant assistance payment shall be the amount by which the actual rent or fair market rent applicable to the family, whichever is lower, exceeds 30% of the family’s monthly income. Where the head of household is an elderly tenant or tenant with a disability,…

(a) Rental units which the Department determines are decent, safe, and sanitary as required by the housing regulations, any other statute or regulation governing the condition of residential premises, and the requirements of this subchapter are eligible for tenant assistance. (b)…

Sixty days prior to the expiration of any tenant assistance authorized under this subchapter, the Department shall notify the tenant, in writing, that the tenant assistance is about to expire and that the tenant, if eligible and desiring to continue to receive tenant assistance, …

(a) If, at any time, a tenant receiving tenant assistance fails to satisfy the requirements of this subchapter relating to conditions of eligibility, the tenant shall immediately notify the Department, in writing, of the ineligibility. Tenant assistance shall terminate on the nex…

All monies received by any tenant through the Tenant Assistance Program under this subchapter are exempt from District income taxes payable under Chapter 18 of Title 47.

(a) Each housing provider required to register under this chapter, including those otherwise exempt from rental control and registration pursuant to § 42-3502.05(a)(3), shall pay a fee of $21.50 for each rental unit in a housing accommodation registered by the housing provider. T…

(a) Except as provided in this section, no tenant shall be evicted from a rental unit, notwithstanding the expiration of the tenant’s lease or rental agreement, so long as the tenant continues to pay the rent to which the housing provider is entitled for the rental unit. No tenan…

(a) No housing provider shall take any retaliatory action against any tenant who exercises any right conferred upon the tenant by this chapter, by any rule or order issued pursuant to this chapter, or by any other provision of law. Retaliatory action may include any action or pro…

(a) There is established a conciliation and arbitration service (“service”) within the Division. (b) The service shall provide a voluntary, nonadversarial forum for the resolution of disputes arising between housing providers and tenants in the District. (c) The staff of the serv…

(a) By mutual consent, the housing provider and tenant may submit for arbitration any dispute not satisfactorily resolved under § 42-3505.03. (b) A request for arbitration shall be in writing. (c) The Rent Administrator shall designate 3 members of the Division’s staff, other tha…

(a) It is unlawful for a housing provider to discriminate against families receiving or eligible to receive Tenant Assistance Program assistance, elderly tenants, or families with children when renting housing accommodations. (b) Any protections provided by subsection (a) of this…

(a) For purposes of this section, the term: (1) “CPI” means the average of the Consumer Price Index for the Washington-Baltimore Metropolitan Statistical Area for all-urban consumers published by the Department of Labor, or any successor index, as of the close of the 12-month per…

(a) For purposes of this section, the term “qualified third party” means any of the following persons acting in their official capacity: (1) A law enforcement officer, as defined in § 4-1301.02(14); (2) A sworn officer of the D.C. Housing Authority Office of Public Safety; (3) A …

(a) Upon the written request of a tenant who is the victim of an intrafamily offense, as defined in § 16-1001(8), a housing provider shall change the locks to all entrance doors to that tenant’s unit within 5 business days; provided, that if the perpetrator of the intrafamily off…

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall convert and the Mayor shall not permit the conversion of any housing accommodation or rental unit into a hotel, motel, inn, or other transient residential occupancy unit or accommodation.

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall demolish and the Mayor shall not permit the demolition of any housing accommodation or rental unit for the purpose of constructing or expanding a hotel, motel, inn, or other transient residential accommodation. (b) N…

No housing provider shall substantially rehabilitate, demolish, or discontinue any housing accommodation unless there has first been served upon each tenant residing in the housing accommodation a written notice of intent to rehabilitate, demolish, or discontinue the housing acco…

Each housing provider commencing substantial rehabilitation, demolition, or housing discontinuance, on or after July 17, 1985, shall pay relocation assistance in an amount calculated under § 42-3507.03 to all tenants of the housing accommodation who: (1) Were living in the rental…

(a) Until the Mayor establishes the amount of relocation assistance pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, the amount of relocation assistance payable to a displaced tenant shall be calculated as follows: (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, relocation…

Whenever a building in the District is converted from rental to condominium units, substantially rehabilitated or demolished, or discontinued from housing use, the Relocation Assistance Office of the Department of Housing and Community Development shall provide relocation advisor…

The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs shall provide for the continuation of a tenant hot line. The primary purpose of the tenant hot line is to provide assistance to low- and moderate-income tenants. To carry out this purpose, the functions and responsibilities shall …

In order to assist in stimulating the expansion of the supply of decent, safe, and affordable rental housing for low- to moderate-income persons in the District, the Council declares as its policy that the Mayor and the Council shall: (1) Use the District’s bonding authority to p…

(a) There shall be an 80% reduction of the property tax liability during the first year newly constructed rental housing accommodations become available for rental. Tax for succeeding years shall be increased by increments of 16% of the full tax liability, until the time the full…

(a) Where vacant rental accommodations are being rehabilitated under this subchapter, the Mayor may defer or forgive any outstanding water and sewer fees owed by the property. (b) A project under this section shall be subject to certification by the Mayor that it is in the best i…

(a) The Mayor may establish and administer a distressed property improvement program to assist those housing accommodations which meet the requirements of § 42-3501.03(9). (b) The distressed property improvement program may include any or all of the following: (1) A 5-year deferr…