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Written by Columbia Heights News
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Thursday, 16 February 2006 |
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Washington, DC - The first significant strengthening of rent control in 20 years will come to its first Council vote tomorrow. The bill would limit rent increases to once a year, and would finally place a cap on how much rents can be increased in rent-controlled buildings. It would also abolish the ability of landlords to take vacant apartments with affordable rent and convert them into luxury apartments with market-rate rents.
"For rent control to be meaningful, it has to keep apartments affordable," said Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward One), lead author of the bill and chair of the Committee on Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. "There are thousands of units across the District that are unaffordable but still under rent control. We're proposing to tighten up a system that in many cases hasn't controlled anything at all."
Under current law, a landlord can take an empty unit and raise the rent to match the highest comparable unit in the building. The rent control bill would eliminate this possibility and replace it with a maximum 30% increase in most cases.
A "rent ceiling" is the maximum rent that a landlord can charge by law. This figure can rise far beyond even the market rate for an apartment. Current law allows a landlord to raise the rent every 6 months and up to the rent ceiling. The rent control bill would limit rent increases to once every year, and to 8% per year for most people, 4% per year for the elderly and disabled. The bill does not allow rents to be raised 8% per year - it simply limits the frequency and size of increases. Landlords will still need to show a valid, independent reason for each rent increase.
Twelve of 13 councilmembers joined Councilmember Graham in co-introducing or co-sponsoring B16-457. The Committee on Consumer and Regulatory Affairs will vote tomorrow on this and four other bills:
- B16-048 would require landlords to show how rent ceilings were calculated whenever asked by a current or potential tenant.
- B16-051 would allow tenants to challenge improper rent increases back to 1985, rather than for just the past three years, and to collect damages for improper rent increases for the past three years.
- B16-109 would give tenants information they need to know before signing a lease, including the rent ceiling amount, all rent control rules and notice of any reported housing code violations.
- B16-458 would further protect tenants' rights to organize by guaranteeing tenants and tenant organizers use of public space and facilities and establishing stricter penalties for attempting to retaliate against tenants.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 14 March 2007 )
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Councilmember Jim Graham has been serving Ward One for the DC Council since 1999. Ward One is the most diverse wards in the District of Columbia and it faces unique issues. Councilmember Graham has worked tirelessly as an advocate for the diverse interests of all the residents of Ward One.
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