Washington, D.C. rent increase law

A rent increase does not take effect until the first day rent is normally due that falls more than 60 calendar days after you give the tenant notice of it.

D.C. Code § 42-3509.04(b)

• If your lease requires the tenant to give more than 30 days' notice before moving out, it must also require you to give notice of a rent increase at least 30 days longer than that period. D.C. Code § 42-3505.54(b)
• For a rent stabilized unit, rent may be increased only once every 12 months, the notice must state the current and new rent and include a summary of tenant rights, and a copy of the notice is filed with the Rent Administrator within 30 days after the increase takes effect. An increase above base rent is also invalid unless the unit and common areas substantially comply with the housing regulations, the building is registered, you and any manager are licensed or registered as required, the notice complies with the notice statute, a nonresident owner has a registered agent, and you have given the tenant written notice of the maximum increase for elderly tenants and tenants with disabilities and how to claim that status. D.C. Code § 42-3502.08(f), (g) D.C. Code § 42-3502.05(g)(1)(A) D.C. Code § 42-3502.08(a)(1) See Rent control on the Washington, D.C. page
• Serve notices by hand, by leaving them at the tenant's home with a person of suitable age, or by mail. D.C. Code § 42-3509.04(a)

The District has rent stabilization. It applies to each rental unit unless the statute exempts it; units in buildings with 4 or fewer units owned by up to 4 natural persons who own no other District rental unit, newer buildings permitted after 1975, and federally or District subsidized units, among others, can qualify, and the exemption for small owners requires a claim filed with the Rent Administrator. For an occupied stabilized unit, a yearly increase is limited to the adjustment of general applicability plus 2 percent, never more than 10 percent.

D.C. Code § 42-3502.05(a) D.C. Code § 42-3502.08(h)

• Rent on a stabilized unit may be increased only after a full 12 months since the last increase. D.C. Code § 42-3502.08(g)
• For an elderly tenant or a tenant with a disability, an increase is limited to the lowest of the adjustment of general applicability, the latest Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, or 5 percent. D.C. Code § 42-3502.24(a)
• Every housing provider registers the building, or files a claim of exemption, with the Rent Administrator; for a unit that is not exempt, you also file each rent increase notice within 30 days after it takes effect and a notice of any ownership or management change within 30 days. D.C. Code § 42-3502.05(a), (f), (g)
• Tenants also have a right to purchase when a housing accommodation is sold, under the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, which was not read for this page. D.C. Code § 42-3404.02
• For a rent stabilized unit, do not impose any mandatory fee for a service or facility unless it was approved through a services and facilities petition or a voluntary agreement; a violation makes you liable for treble damages. D.C. Code § 42-3502.11a D.C. Code § 42-3502.11 D.C. Code § 42-3502.15
• For standard annual increases effective May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027, the Commission sets a 4.1 percent limit for other rent-controlled tenants and a 2.1 percent limit for tenants age 62 or older or with a disability who have registered that status with the Rent Administrator. These are annual adjustment limits for covered units; separately approved increases and their protections require their own review. Confirm the lawful rent, coverage and last increase before calculating a new amount. Rental Housing Commission, 2026 adjustment notice Office of the Tenant Advocate, 2026 rent control year
• Use the District's RentRegistry for housing-provider registration and any claim of exemption. The Commission requires housing providers to file rent increases taking effect on or after December 1, 2025 electronically, and tenants claiming age or disability status must also file through RentRegistry. Government filing is separate from giving the tenant a properly served notice; completing one does not establish that the other was completed. Rental Housing Commission, 2026 notice: electronic filing See Rent increase notice on the Washington, D.C. page

You may not retaliate against a tenant for exercising any legal right, for example by seeking possession, raising rent unlawfully, cutting services, harassing, refusing to renew or ending the tenancy without cause. If within the 6 months before your action the tenant took one of the protected steps listed in the statute, the action is presumed retaliatory and the tenant wins unless you rebut it with clear and convincing evidence.

D.C. Code § 42-3505.02

• The protected steps are a witnessed oral or written request for repairs needed to meet the housing regulations, contacting District officials about violations, lawfully withholding rent after notice of a violation, tenant organization activity, an effort to secure or enforce rights under the lease, and bringing legal action against the landlord. D.C. Code § 42-3505.02(b)