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Council of the District of Columbia
Committee on Economic Development
Notice of Public Hearing
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20004
COUNCILMEMBER MURIEL BOWSER, CHAIRPERSON
COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ANNOUNCE A PUBLIC HEARING
On
B20-052, Rent Control Voluntary Agreement Procedure Amendment Act of 2013
B20-074, Residential Lease Omnibus Amendment Act of 2013
B20-830, the Rent Control Amendment Act of 2014
B20-837, the Rent Control Improvement and Protection Amendment Act of 2014
B20-895, the Rent Control Hardship Petition Amendment Act of 2014
September 25, 2014
11:00 AM
Room 412
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
On September 25, 2014, Councilmember Muriel Bowser, Chairperson of the Committee on Economic Development, will hold a public hearing to consider legislation regarding landlord-tenant law.
Bill 20-052, the Rent Control Voluntary Agreement Procedure Amendment Act of 2013, would require a 21-day period for affected tenants to have an opportunity to submit testimony on a proposed voluntary agreement, provide additional criteria for the Rent Administrator to deny a voluntary agreement, and eliminate automatic approval of voluntary agreements.
Bill 20-074, the Residential Lease Omnibus Amendment Act of 2013, would require that mandatory fees or services be included in the maximum rent charged, extend tenants’ opportunity to purchase for a twelve month period if a unit owner takes possession for personal occupancy, establish a reasonable standard for the purpose, time, and notice of a landlord’s inspection of a unit, bar lease terms that require more than 30-days notice of a tenant’s intent to vacate a unit, and bar lease terms that unreasonably restrict a tenant’s ability to sublet a unit.
Bill 20-830, the Rent Control Amendment Act of 2014, would prohibit rent increases when a housing provider fails to give elderly or disabled tenants notice of their rights, to have a registered agent, or requiring unnecessary proof of a tenant’s elderly or disabled status. The bill would also cap rent increases for elderly or disabled tenants to the lesser of 5%, the Consumer Price Index, or the Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment and cap rent increases for other tenants at 2% plus the Consumer Price Index up to 10%. Finally, Bill 20-830 clarifies the process for proving a tenant’s elderly and disabled status.
Bill 20-837, the Rent Control Improvement and Protection Amendment Act of 2014, extends the time period for the Rent Administrator to review a hardship petition, lowers the statutory rate of return to 8%, changes the standard for calculating a rate of return, provides additional protections for the review of voluntary agreements, and establishes new penalties for violations of tenant law.
Bill 20-895, the Rent Control Hardship Petition Amendment Act of 2014, requires the creation of an online search database of rental documents, bars the selective or delayed implementation of rent increases, lowers the statutory rate of return to 8%, changes the standard for calculating a rate of return, eliminates conditional approval of hardship petitions, makes changes to the capital improvement petition process, and provide additional protections for the review of voluntary agreements.
The public hearing will begin at 11:00 AM in Room 412 of the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Individuals and representatives of community organizations wishing to testify should contact Judah Gluckman, Legislative Counsel to the Committee on Economic Development, at (202) 724-8025, or jgluckman@dccouncil.us and furnish their name, address, telephone number, and organizational affiliation, if any, by the close of business September 24, 2014. Persons presenting testimony may be limited to 3 minutes in order to permit each witness an opportunity to be heard. Please provide the Committee 20 copies of any written testimony.
If you are unable to testify at the hearing, written statements are encouraged and will be made a part of the official record. Copies of written statements should be submitted by the close of business on October 9, 2014, to the Committee on Economic Development, Council of the District of Columbia, Suite 110 of the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20004.
