(a)(1) Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter, the rent for any rental unit shall not be increased above the base rent unless:
(A) The rental unit and the common elements are in substantial compliance with the housing regulations, if noncompliance is not the result of tenant neglect or misconduct. Evidence of substantial noncompliance shall be limited to housing regulations violation notices issued by the District of Columbia Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs and other offers of proof the Rental Housing Commission shall consider acceptable through its rulemaking procedures;
(B) The housing accommodation is registered in accordance with § 42-3502.05;
(C) The housing provider of the housing accommodation is properly licensed under a statute or regulations if the statute or regulations require licensing;
(D) The manager of the accommodation, when other than the housing provider, is properly registered under the housing regulations if the regulations require registration; and
(E) Notice of the increase complies with § 42-3509.04.
(2) Where the Rent Administrator finds there have been excessive and prolonged violations of the housing regulations affecting the health, safety, and security of the tenants or the habitability of the housing accommodation in which the tenants reside and that the housing provider has failed to correct the violations, the Rent Administrator may roll back the rents for the affected rental units to an amount which shall not be less than the September 1, 1983, base rent for the rental units until the violations have been abated.
(b) A housing accommodation and each of the rental units in the housing accommodation shall be considered to be in substantial compliance with the housing regulations if:
(1) For purposes of the adjustments made in the rent charged in §§ 42-3502.06 and 42-3502.07, all substantial violations cited at the time of the last inspection of the housing accommodation by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs before the effective date of the increase were abated within a 45-day period following the issuance of the citations or that time granted by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, and the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs has certified the abatement, or the housing provider or the tenant has certified the abatement and has presented evidence to substantiate the certification. No certification of abatement shall establish compliance with the housing regulations unless the tenants have been given a 10-day notice and an opportunity to contest the certification; and
(2) For purposes of the filing of petitions for adjustments in the rent charged as prescribed in § 42-3502.16, the housing accommodation and each of the rental units in the housing accommodation shall have been inspected at the request of each housing provider by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs within the 30 days immediately preceding the filing of a petition for adjustment.
(c) A tenant of a housing accommodation who, after receipt of not less than 5 days written notice that the housing provider desires an inspection of the tenant's rental unit for the purpose of determining whether the housing accommodation is in substantial compliance with the housing regulations, refuses without good cause to admit an employee of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs for the purpose of inspecting the tenant's rental unit, or who refuses without good cause to admit the housing provider or the housing provider's employee or contractor for the purpose of abating any violation of the housing regulations cited by the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, will be considered to have waived the right to challenge the validity of the proposed adjustment for reasons that the rental unit occupied by the tenant is not in substantial compliance with the housing regulations.
(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit or abrogate a tenant's right to initiate any lawful action to correct any violation in the tenant's rental unit or in the housing accommodation in which that rental unit is located.
(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, no rent shall be adjusted under this chapter for any rental unit with respect to which there is a valid written lease or rental agreement establishing the rent for the rental unit for the term of the written lease or rental agreement.
(f) Any notice of an adjustment under § 42-3502.06 shall contain a statement of the current rent, the increased rent, and the utilities covered by the rent which justify the adjustment or other justification for the rent increase. The notice shall also include a summary of tenant rights under this chapter and a list of sources of technical assistance as published in the District of Columbia Register by the Mayor.
(g) The amount of rent charged for any rental unit subject to this subchapter shall not be increased until a full 12 months have elapsed since any prior increase; provided, that:
(1) An increase in the amount of rent charged shall not exceed the amount of any single adjustment pursuant to any one section of this subchapter;
(2) If the rental unit becomes vacant within 12 months of an increase in the amount of rent charged, other than a vacancy increase pursuant to § 42-3502.13, the housing provider may increase the amount of rent charged pursuant to § 42-3502.13; and
(3) If the amount of rent charged is increased pursuant to paragraph (2) of this subsection, the amount of rent charged shall not be increased until a full 12 months have elapsed after the increase in the amount of rent charged, even if another vacancy occurs.
(h)(1) Unless the increase in the amount of rent charged is implemented pursuant to § 42-3502.10, § 42-3502.11, § 42-3502.12, § 42-3502.14, or § 42-3502.15, an increase in the amount of rent charged while the unit is vacant shall not exceed the amount permitted under § 42-3502.13(a).
(2) Unless the increase in the amount of rent charged is implemented pursuant to § 42-3502.10, § 42-3502.11, § 42-3502.12, § 42-3502.14, or § 42-3502.15, an increase in the amount of rent charged while the unit is occupied shall not exceed, taken as a percentage of the current allowable amount of rent charged for the unit, 2% plus the adjustment of general applicability; provided, that the total increase shall not exceed 10%; provided further, that the amount of any such increase in the rent charged for a unit occupied by an elderly or disabled tenant without regard to income but otherwise as defined in § 42-3502.06(f) shall not exceed the lesser of 5% or the adjustment of general applicability.
CREDIT(S)
(July 17, 1985, D.C. Law 6-10, § 208, 32 DCR 3089; Mar. 16, 1993, D.C. Law 9-191, § 2, 39 DCR 9005; Aug. 5, 2006, D.C. Law 16-145, § 2(a), (e), 53 DCR 4889.)
HISTORICAL AND STATUTORY NOTES
Prior Codifications
1981 Ed., § 45-2518.
Effect of Amendments
D.C. Law 16-145 substituted “rent charged” for “rent ceiling”; and rewrote subsecs. (g) and (h), which had read as follows:
“(g) No adjustments in rent under this chapter may be implemented until a full 180 days have elapsed since any prior adjustment.
“(h)(1) One year from March 16, 1993, unless otherwise ordered by the Rent Administrator, each adjustment in rent charged permitted by this section may implement not more than 1 authorized and previously unimplemented rent charged adjustment. If the difference between the rent charged and the rent charged for the rental unit consists of all or a portion of 1 previously unimplemented rent charged adjustment, the housing provider may elect to implement all or a portion of the difference.
“(2) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prevent a housing provider, at his or her election, from delaying the implementation of any rent charged adjustment, or from implementing less than the full amount of any rent charged adjustment. A rent charged adjustment, or portion thereof, which remains unimplemented shall not expire and shall not be deemed forfeited or otherwise diminished.”
Emergency Act Amendments
For temporary (90 day) amendment of section, see § 2(a), (e) of Rent Control Reform Emergency Amendment Act of 2006 (D.C. Act 16-470, July 31, 2006, 53 DCR 6772).
Legislative History of Laws
For legislative history of D.C. Law 6-10, see Historical and Statutory Notes following § 42-3501.01.
Law 9-191, the “Unitary Rent Ceiling Adjustment Amendment Act of 1992,” was introduced in Council and assigned Bill No. 9-305, which was referred to the Committee on Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. The Bill was adopted on first and second readings on October 6, 1992, and November 4, 1992, respectively. Signed by the Mayor on November 23, 1992, it was assigned Act No. 9-312 and transmitted to both Houses of Congress for its review. D.C. Law 9-191 became effective on March 16, 1993.
For Law 16-145, see notes following § 42-3502.02.
Miscellaneous Notes
Termination of Law 6-10: See Historical and Statutory Notes following § 42-3502.01.