Title 42, Real Property.

(a) Any proceeding provided in § 42-3405.04, § 42-3405.06, or § 42-3405.07 shall be conducted according to §§ 2-509 and 2-510 and any officer designated to conduct such a proceeding shall not immediately supervise or be subject to supervision by any employee who participates or h…

(a) After the issuance of a final decision and order pursuant to this chapter, and within 15 days after the Mayor has notified the parties of the final decision and order, any party to such proceeding may seek judicial review of such decision and order by filing a petition for re…

Any person who wilfully violates any provision of this chapter or any rule adopted under or order issued pursuant to this chapter or any person who wilfully in an application makes any false statement of a material fact or omits to state a material fact shall be fined not less th…

(a) The Mayor shall establish a Rental Housing Conversion and Sale Act Task Force (“Task Force”) within 30 days after July 22, 2005. (b) The general mandate of the Task Force shall be to examine all aspects of subchapters IV and V of this chapter, including its implementation and…

The purposes of this chapter favor resolution of ambiguity by the hearing officer or a court toward the end of strengthening the legal rights of tenants or tenant organizations to the maximum extent permissible under law. If this chapter conflicts with another provision of law of…

(a) Within 1 month of the first annual anniversary date of the effective date of this chapter, and during the same period of each successive year, the Mayor shall determine and then declare whether there is a continuing housing crisis in the District. If the Mayor determines that…

If any provision of this chapter, or any section, clause, phrase, or word or the application thereof, in any circumstances is held invalid, the validity of the remainder of the chapter and of the application of any other provision, section, sentence, clause, phrase, or word shall…

(a)(1) No later than August 9, 2021, the Stronger Together by Assisting You ("STAY DC") Program application portal shall allow housing providers to submit an application for emergency rental assistance on behalf of tenants with an electronic signature from the tenant for funding …

The Council of the District of Columbia finds that: (1) There is a severe shortage of rental housing available to citizens of the District of Columbia (“District”). (2) The shortage of housing is growing due to the withdrawal of housing units from the housing market, deterioratio…

In enacting this chapter, the Council of the District of Columbia supports the following statutory purposes: (1) To protect low- and moderate-income tenants from the erosion of their income from increased housing costs; (2) To provide incentives for the construction of new rental…

For the purposes of this chapter, the term: (a)(1) “Annual fair market rental amount” means the annualized sum of the rents collected for all rental units in the housing accommodation during the base calculation year, plus an amount equal to the percentage increase in the Consume…

(a) The Rental Housing Commission is established as an independent agency within the executive branch of the District government. (a-1)(1) The Rental Housing Commission shall be composed of 2 regular members and a Chairperson, all of whom shall be appointed by the Mayor with the …

The Rental Housing Commission shall be headed by a Chairperson who shall be accountable and responsible for the fairness, impartiality, effectiveness, and efficiency of the Rental Housing Commission. (a)(1) The Chairperson shall: (A) Be the administrative head and personnel autho…

(a) The Rental Housing Commission shall: (1) Possess sole authority to issue, amend, and rescind rules and procedures for the administration of this chapter except rules and procedures subject to § 2-1831.05(a)(7); (2) Decide appeals brought to it from decisions of the Rent Admin…

Members and staff of the Rental Housing Commission shall not be subject to liability for their official acts. Persons assisting the Rental Housing Commission, whether paid or pro bono, shall not be subject to liability for actions taken to perform services on behalf of the Commis…

(a)(1) Nothing in this chapter may be construed as granting the Department of Housing and Community Development or any other agency of the District government power or authority over the Rental Housing Commission's powers, duties, or personnel. (2) For as long as the Rental Housi…

There is established within the Department of Housing and Community Development the Rental Accommodations Division, which shall have as its head a Rent Administrator.

(a) The Rent Administrator shall be appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the Council. (b) The Mayor shall transmit a nomination of the Rent Administrator to the Council, for a 90-day period of review, excluding days of Council recess, including any Rent Administr…

The Rent Administrator shall: (1) Be admitted to practice before the District of Columbia Court of Appeals by the time the Rent Administrator’s term of office commences; (2) Be a resident of the District within 6 months of the commencement of the Rent Administrator’s term of offi…

(a) The Office of the Tenant Advocate ("OTA"), with the assistance of and in close consultation with the Department of Buildings, the Office of Tax and Revenue, the Rental Accommodations Division ("RAD") of the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Housing Provider…

Upon completion of the publicly accessible rent control housing database created pursuant to § 42-3502.03c, a housing provider shall use the online housing provider portal developed pursuant to § 42-3502.03c(b)(1) to file all documents and data required to be filed pursuant to th…

(a) There is established as a special fund the Rental Housing Registration Fund ("Fund"), which shall be administered in accordance with subsections (c) and (d) of this section. (b) Revenue from penalties charged to a housing provider pursuant to § 42-3502.05(f) shall be deposite…

(a) The Rent Administrator shall draft rules and procedures for the administration of this chapter to be transmitted to the Rental Housing Commission for its action under § 42-3502.02(a)(1). (b) The Rent Administrator shall carry out, according to rules and procedures established…

(a) There is established within the Department of Housing and Community Development the Rental Conversion and Sale Division, which shall have as its head a Rental Conversion and Sale Administrator. (b) The Rental Conversion and Sale Administrator shall receive annual compensation…

All positions, property, records, and unexpended balances of appropriations, allocations, assessments, and other funds available or to be made available to the Rental Accommodations and Conversion Division of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs relating to the dutie…

(a) There is established within the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Housing Regulation Administration, which shall have as its head a Housing Regulation Administrator. The Housing Regulation Administrator shall be appointed by, and report directly to, the Dir…

*NOTE: This section includes amendments by temporary legislation that will expire on January 22, 2027. To view the text of this section after the expiration of all emergency and temporary legislation, click this link: Permanent Version.* (a) Except as provided in subsection (e) o…

(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) Upon the expiration or termination of an exemption claimed pursuant to § 42-3502.05(a)(1), (3), or (5), rent charged for a unit may not exceed the following: (1) For a unit exempted pursuant to § 42-3502.05(a)(1) or (5): (A)(i) If the unit is not vacant when the exemption ter…

(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) A housing provider shall not impose on a tenant a mandatory fee for any service or facility that has not been approved pursuant to § 42-3502.11 or § 42-3502.15. (b) A housing provider who violates this section shall be liable to the tenant for treble damages pursuant to secti…

(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) Pursuant to rules and procedures enacted under § 42-3502.02(a)(1), 70%, or more of the tenants of a housing accommodation may enter into a voluntary agreement with the housing provider: (1) To establish the reasonable rent charged; (2) To alter levels of related services and …

(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) 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 definition of the term "rent charged" shall be included on all Rental Accommodations Division forms that include the term.

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, tenants with disabilities, teachers of the District of Columbia Public Schools or a District of Columbia Pub…