District of Columbia Landlord Compliance
Everything you're responsible for as a landlord in District of Columbia
Rent control, just-cause eviction, deposits, entry, repairs and recordkeeping, written for people who own or manage a few units, checked against the official sources, and kept current when the rules move.
Jurisdiction
key details
Rent cap · Detail
Rent Stabilization Program: annual increase capped at CPI-W + 2% (max 10%); elderly/disabled tenants CPI-W only (max 5%). 2026: 4.1% / 2.1% from 1 May 2026. Exempt: post-1975 buildings, small landlords (≤4 units), subsidized.
Deposit cap · Detail
Security deposit may not exceed one month's rent; must be held in an interest-bearing escrow account.
Rent increase notice · Detail
No rent increase is effective until the first rent-payment day falling more than 60 calendar days after written notice (raised from 30 days by D.C. Law 25-65, 2023). Stabilized units: one increase per 12 months.
City rules · Detail
DC is a single city-level jurisdiction; its Rental Housing Act rent stabilization and just-cause rules are the local law. No sub-municipalities; do not display city chips.
Just cause · Detail
Tenant who keeps paying rent may not be evicted except on the grounds listed in § 42-3505.01 (nonpayment, lease violation, illegal acts, owner occupancy 90 days, sale 90 days, renovation 120, demolition 180, etc.). Lease expiry is not a ground.
Return deadline · Detail
Within 45 days after the tenant vacates, refund with interest or give written notice of intent to withhold; if withholding, itemized statement and balance within 30 further days. Trigger is move-out, not demand.
Nonpayment notice · Detail
Landlord must give the tenant at least 30 days' written notice to pay the full balance before filing a nonpayment eviction; no eviction may be filed if the amount owed is under $600.
What are you trying to do?
Start from the task. Each route gathers the guides, checklists and forms that apply to it in District of Columbia.
Essential local guides
If you're new to owning here, these five cover most of what will come up in your first year.
View All GuidesDC ERAP Eviction Stay Rule 2025: Courts Can Pause a Nonpayment Case When a Tenant Has a Pending Application
A DC tenant behind on rent, with a rental assistance application sitting in a queue somewhere, used to have no guaranteed way to buy time in an active eviction case. Since July 18, 2025, courts have explicit authority to pause a nonpayment case for that reason, but it's discretionary, and it only works once. A separate rule, triggered later in the process, works differently and actually obligates the landlord to act.
Guide
DC Eviction Law 2025: How the RENTAL Amendment Act Changes Dangerous-Crime Evictions and TOPA Exemptions
A DC housing provider dealing with a tenant who committed a violent crime inside the building used to face the same 30-day notice and drawn-out court calendar as any other eviction case. Since December 31, 2025, that's changed for a specific category of conduct, and the same law also reopened a separate, unrelated door: new exemptions from the District's Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act.
Guide
DC Extreme Heat Eviction Protection 2026: No Physical Evictions on Days Forecast Above 95°F
A US Marshal showing up to physically remove a tenant on a day the National Weather Service is calling for 98 degrees used to be perfectly legal in DC, as long as the sun wasn't accompanied by rain and the temperature wasn't below freezing. Since April 16, 2026, that's no longer true. The Extreme Heat Eviction Protection Amendment Act adds a third weather condition to the District's existing eviction-day restrictions.
Guide
DC Move-Out Debt Collection Law 2026: Landlords Have 45 Days to Notify Tenants of Unpaid Amounts
A former tenant who moved out months ago and never heard another word from the landlord, only to get a collections notice out of nowhere over an alleged unpaid balance, is exactly the scenario D.C. Law 26-156 targets. Landlords now have to itemize any move-out debt in writing within 45 days, give the tenant a real chance to dispute it, and can no longer charge fees for keeping a unit habitable in the first place.
Guide
DC Rent Control Increase 2026: 4.1% Standard Cap and 2.1% Cap for May 2026 Through April 2027
A DC landlord raising rent on a controlled unit this year isn't picking a number; the ceiling is set centrally, and it's different depending on who's living there. For Rent Control Year 2026, running May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027, the Rental Housing Commission has set the standard cap at 4.1% and the registered elderly and disability cap at 2.1%.
Guide
Recent changes
Only substantive changes, not copy edits.
14 Aug 2026
Move-out debt notices gain documentation and timing rules
Within 45 days after a tenancy ends, a provider must notify the former tenant of alleged unpaid amounts with supporting documentation and dispute information.
14 Aug 2026
Common-space and vacant-unit utility charges move into rent
From January 1, 2027, providers generally may not separately bill tenants for utilities accrued by common spaces or vacant units; qualifying ratio billing may continue.
31 Dec 2025
Eviction and TOPA procedures substantially revised
The RENTAL Act shortens specified nonpayment and summons periods and restructures important Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act procedures and exemptions.
1 Oct 2025
Pet deposits and recurring pet charges are capped
For leases beginning after October 1, 2025, refundable pet deposits generally may not exceed 15% of monthly rent and permitted additional pet rent is tightly limited.
Full District of Columbia collection
Filter by what you're doing or by the kind of resource you need.
| Resource | Type | Task | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
DC ERAP Eviction Stay Rule 2025: Courts Can Pause a Nonpayment Case When a Tenant Has a Pending Application A DC tenant behind on rent, with a rental assistance application sitting in a queue somewhere, used to have no guaranteed way to buy time in an active eviction case. Since July 18, 2025, courts have explicit authority to pause a nonpayment case for that reason, but it's discretionary, and it only works once. A separate rule, triggered later in the process, works differently and actually obligates the landlord to act. | Guides | End a tenancy | Sep 29, 2026 |
DC Eviction Law 2025: How the RENTAL Amendment Act Changes Dangerous-Crime Evictions and TOPA Exemptions A DC housing provider dealing with a tenant who committed a violent crime inside the building used to face the same 30-day notice and drawn-out court calendar as any other eviction case. Since December 31, 2025, that's changed for a specific category of conduct, and the same law also reopened a separate, unrelated door: new exemptions from the District's Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act. | Guides | End a tenancy | Sep 29, 2026 |
DC Extreme Heat Eviction Protection 2026: No Physical Evictions on Days Forecast Above 95°F A US Marshal showing up to physically remove a tenant on a day the National Weather Service is calling for 98 degrees used to be perfectly legal in DC, as long as the sun wasn't accompanied by rain and the temperature wasn't below freezing. Since April 16, 2026, that's no longer true. The Extreme Heat Eviction Protection Amendment Act adds a third weather condition to the District's existing eviction-day restrictions. | Guides | End a tenancy | Sep 29, 2026 |
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Move-in and move-out photos
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