The Committee of 100 recognizes the vital role that the District’s rent stabilization/rent control law has played in protecting many renters from displacement and in contributing to the spectrum of affordable housing in DC. The Rental Housing Act of 1985 does not establish income requirements for tenants in rent-stabilized apartments but instead limits their annual rent to cost-of-living increases. By protecting tenants from the sudden sharp rent increases that can occur in market rate apartments, the law provides greater housing affordability and security to tenants, such as those living on fixed incomes but who do not qualify for direct government assistance.
C100 has urged the DC Council to increase the number of rent stabilized apartments by expanding rent stabilization to newer buildings and to remove legislative impediments to fully realizing the intent of the program; and has supported the Office of the Tenant Advocate’s development of a database on rent controlled buildings as essential to good policy.
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- Rent Stabilization & Control
Rent Stabilization & Control
C100 Testimony DC Council OTA Performance Testimony
David Marlin
We would like to take this opportunity once again to urge serious consideration of improvements in the statute. Two provisions need to be repealed outright and there are two pending bills that would accomplish that, one by CM Anita Bonds to repeal Voluntary Agreements and the other by CM Christina Henderson to repeal Certificates of Assurance.
C100 Testimony DC Council Rent Stabilization Protection Amendment Act Of 2023
David Marlin
Anticipating that DCHA could take some time to create rent-reasonableness standards, the testimony recommends that the bill be modified to go into effect immediately, with DCHA paying no higher a rent for a voucher-holding tenant than the last rent charged to a non-subsidized tenant who occupied that rent-stabilized unit. DCHA should increase staffing to ensure effective implementation; and should publish its rent reasonableness formula for comment before implementation.
C100 Testimony DC Council Performance Oversight Hearings Committee On Housing
Andrea Rosen, Nancy MacWood, Meg Maguire
C100 is concerned that the Administration’s competing affordable housing policy interests have led in effect to a reduction in DC's rent-stabilized housing inventory, which contravenes the purposes of the Rent Stabilization Act. This is an undesirable outcome for households whose earnings are too high to qualify for housing subsidies but too low to compete for market-rate apartments in the District of Columbia.
C100 Testimony DC Council Performance Oversight Hearings Committee On Housing
Andrea Rosen
The Committee of 100 finds that the Administration’s competing policy interests have led to a reduction in the rent-stabilized housing inventory, which by statute is meant to be protected. This is an undesirable outcome for households whose earnings are too high to qualify for housing subsidies but too low to compete for market-rate apartments in the District of Columbia.
C100 Testimony DC Council Office Of Tenant Advocacy
David Marlin
OTA is the ideal organization to conduct a citywide survey that will, for the first time, make available to city agencies, lawmakers and the general public full information about rent-stabilized housing in the District which contains approximately 80,000 units.
C100 Testimony DC Council Housing Committee Supporting B23-877 B23-879
David Marlin
C100 testifies in support of Bill 23-877 addressing landlord petitions seeking rent increases for substantial rehabilitation of rental units; and Bill 23-879 addressing landlord petitions seeking rent increases for capital improvements to rental units.
C100 Statement On Rent Control
Caroline Petti
C100 testifies in favor of moving forward with omnibus legislation to strengthen and expand DC's rent stabilization program and to close loopholes - like voluntary agreements - that are undermining the program.
C100 Testimony DC Council Housing Committee Opposing B23-0530
Andrea Rosen
C100 opposes "means testing," proposed by B23-0530, because it is inconsistent with the statutory purpose of rent stabilization. Moreover, the problem it proposes to solve has not been substantiated. Means-testing provides no new affordable housing, of which the District is in dire need, but in seeking to replace one population of rent-burdened residents with another that is more rent-burdened, it creates its own displacement dynamic.
C100 Press Release C100 Supports Ten-year Extension Of Rent Control
Kirby Vining
The Committee of 100 on the Federal City announced its strong support on Wednesday for the ten-year extension of the District’s rent control program. The position was submitted to the Council’s Committee on Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization, Councilmember Anita Bonds, Chair.
C100 Testmony DC Council Rent Control
Caroline Petti
Testimony on bills designed to strengthen DC's rent control program. We urge the city to accelerate and improve the understanding of the inventory and circumstances of existing rent-controlled housing.
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