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Breaking a lease in Washington, D.C.
Checked against the Washington, D.C. statutes on October 1, 2026 General information, not legal advice
Key numbers
- Ending month-to-month
- Tenant only
- a landlord needs a ground the law lists; the tenant gives 30 days, ending on the first of a month
- D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(a)(1)D.C. Code § 42-3202(b)
Ending a fixed-term lease early
If a tenant leaves before the lease ends, or in bad faith never moves in, any damages you claim are subject to your duty to mitigate them, which in practice means trying to re-rent the unit.
- A tenant who is a victim of an intrafamily offense, or the parent or guardian of a minor victim, is released from the lease on giving written notice with a protection order or documentation signed by a qualified third party, such as a police officer, health professional or domestic violence counselor. The request must come within 90 days of the incident. D.C. Code § 42-3505.07(a) to (c), (e)
- The release takes effect 14 days after you receive the notice and documentation, or when a new tenancy for the unit starts if sooner, and the tenant owes rent only pro-rated to that point, whatever the lease says about penalties. D.C. Code § 42-3505.07(d), (f)
- You may prohibit subletting or assignment if the lease says so. If the lease allows it with your reasonable consent or is silent, you may require the proposed subtenant to meet your reasonable rental criteria, which you must give the tenant on request. D.C. Code § 42-3505.55
The Rentari D.C. lease includes the intrafamily offense release on these terms, requires your written consent to sublet or assign, and says you will not unreasonably withhold it.
Ending a month-to-month tenancy
A landlord cannot end a residential tenancy, month-to-month or after a lease expires, just by giving notice. As long as the tenant pays the rent you are entitled to, you may recover the unit only for one of the reasons the eviction statute lists, after the notice it requires. The tenant may end a month-to-month tenancy with 30 days' written notice that expires on the first day of a month.
D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(a)(1) D.C. Code § 42-3202(b) D.C. Code § 42-3505.54(a)
- The tenant's notice expires on the first day of the first month at least 30 days after the date of the notice. D.C. Code § 42-3505.54(a) D.C. Code § 42-3202(b)
- Grounds other than the tenant's fault each carry their own notice to vacate, for example 90 days when an owner who is a natural person (not a company) in good faith wants to live in the unit, 120 days for approved renovations, and 180 days to stop using the unit as housing, and some come with relocation help and limits on re-renting. D.C. Code § 42-3505.01(d), (f), (i) See Eviction process on the Washington, D.C. page
- A clause requiring more than 30 days' notice from the tenant when an initial lease term ends is void unless the lease says it expires with the initial term and that the tenant may then leave on 30 days' notice while month-to-month. D.C. Code § 42-3505.53
The Rentari D.C. lease says in bold that the lease expiring does not end the tenancy, and that only the tenant may end it by a 30-day written notice that expires on the first of a month.
Questions
Can a tenant end the lease early because of domestic violence?
Yes. A tenant who is a victim of an intrafamily offense, or the parent or guardian of a minor victim, is released on written notice with a protection order or a qualified third party's documentation, given within 90 days of the incident. The release takes effect 14 days later, with rent pro-rated, and on request you must change the locks within 5 business days.