Title 42 — Real Property.

(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…

(a) Upon petition by the housing provider, the Mayor may initiate the development of a distressed property improvement plan utilizing any or all of the mechanisms in § 42-3508.04(b). The development of the plan shall involve the participation of the housing provider, the tenants …

(a) The Mayor may provide tax abatements and deferral or forgiveness of water and sewer fees and other indebtedness to the District as incentives for the development of single-room-occupancy housing for low- and moderate-income tenants. These incentives shall be provided pursuant…

(a) Any person who knowingly (1) demands or receives any rent for a rental unit in excess of the maximum allowable rent applicable to that rental unit under the provisions of subchapter II of this chapter, or (2) substantially reduces or eliminates related services previously pro…

The Rent Administrator, Rental Housing Commission, or a court of competent jurisdiction may award reasonable attorney’s fees to the prevailing party in any action under this chapter, except actions for eviction authorized under § 42-3505.01.

This chapter shall be considered to supersede the Rental Accommodations Act of 1975, the Rental Housing Act of 1977, and the Rental Housing Act of 1980, except that a petition filed with the Rent Administrator under the Rental Housing Act of 1980 shall be determined under the pro…

(a) Unless otherwise provided by Rental Housing Commission regulations, any information or document required to be served upon any person shall be served upon that person, or the representative designated by that person or by the law to receive service of the documents. When a pa…

[Repealed or reserved.]

[Repealed or reserved.]

All subchapters of this chapter, except subchapters III and V and § 42-3509.08, shall terminate on December 31, 2020.

(a) Notwithstanding any other law or rule to the contrary, for the purpose of determining whether any housing accommodation is in compliance with applicable housing rules or construction code rules, the Mayor may enter upon and into any housing accommodation in the District, duri…

This chapter may be cited as the “Office of the Chief Tenant Advocate Establishment Act”.

The purpose of this chapter is to establish the Office of the Tenant Advocate as an independent agency to advocate on behalf of the education of, and outreach to, tenants and the people of the District.

The Council finds that, despite the fact that the District has some of the most comprehensive pro-tenant laws in the United States: (a)(1) Tenants in the District are under-informed of their rights. (2) It is difficult for tenants to obtain information. (3) Tenants cannot usually…

For the purposes of this chapter, the term: (a)(1) “Chief” means Chief Tenant Advocate established by § 42-3531.06. (2) “Office” means the Office of the Tenant Advocate established by § 42-3531.05. (3) Repealed. (4) “Tenant” and “tenant organization” shall have the same meaning a…

The Office of the Tenant Advocate is established as an independent agency within the District government.

(a) There shall be a Chief Tenant Advocate who shall be responsible for the administration of the Office and implementation of the duties of the Office. (b)(1) On or after October 1, 2007, the Chief shall be appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the Council for a …

The Office shall: (1) Provide education and outreach to tenants and the community about laws, rules, and other policy matters involving rental housing, including tenant rights under the petition process and formation of tenant organizations; (2) Represent the interests of tenants…

Repealed Repealed.

The Housing Assistance Fund established by § 42-3403.07 [repealed] shall be administered and managed by the Office of the Tenant Advocate.

On or before December 1, 2007, the Office of the Chief Tenant Advocate shall promulgate rules, subject to Council approval, to implement the provisions of this chapter.

For the purposes of this subchapter, the term: (1) “Civic association” means: (A) A nonprofit association, corporation, or other organization that is: (i) Comprised of residents of a community within which a nuisance is located; (ii) Operated exclusively for the promotion of soci…

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of § 16-1501, or § 42-3505.01, a housing provider may commence an action in the Court to recover possession of a rental unit or the Mayor may commence an action in the Court to evict a tenant or occupant in a rental unit. The following persons ma…

(a) After commencement of an action under § 42-3602 and upon request of a party, the Court shall hold a hearing to determine if a preliminary injunction should be granted to prevent a tenant from directly or indirectly maintaining a drug haven or nuisance. (b) The Court may grant…

(a)(1) Within 10 days of the issuance of the preliminary injunction, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, the Court shall hold a full hearing on the merits of the eviction action. If a hearing for a preliminary injunction has not been requested, the Court shall exped…

The Court shall not enter a default judgment to evict a tenant or occupant who has failed to plead or otherwise defend unless, based upon evidence presented by the plaintiff, the Court determines that the rental unit is a drug haven or nuisance.

(a) To initiate an action pursuant to § 42-3602, an affected tenant, resident, or resident association may submit a petition accompanied by a complaint for review by the Mayor. The housing provider may be named as party plaintiff in the petition. The review of the petition by the…

(a) The Mayor shall establish within the Metropolitan Police Department a division to provide assistance to, supervision of, or protection to a plaintiff who has obtained an eviction order or other relief pursuant to this subchapter. (b) The Mayor shall report to the Council on a…

The Court may award court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees to a civic association, community association, or resident association that is the prevailing plaintiff in an action brought under this subchapter.

The provisions of this subchapter shall not limit the availability of other remedies under law or other equitable relief whether or not an adequate remedy exists at law.

(a) The Mayor shall issue proposed rules to implement the provisions of this subchapter. The proposed rules shall be submitted to the Council for a 45-day period of review, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, legal holidays, and days of Council recess. If the Council does not approve o…

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