ENROLLED ORIGINAL
1
A RESOLUTION
25-434
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
March 5, 2024
To declare the existence of an emergency, due to congressional review, with respect to the need
to amend the Rental Housing Act of 1985 to give housing providers until January 1,
2024, to comply with a legislative change that requires a 60-day notice of a rent
increase to tenants.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution
may be cited as the “Fairness in Renting Notice Clarification Congressional Review
Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2024”.
Sec. 2. (a) On September 19, 2023, the Council passed Bill 25-74, the Fairness in
Renting Clarification Amendment Act of 2023, which took effect on November 28, 2023.
(b) Among other reforms, the legislation increased the notice period that housing
providers must provide to tenants of a prospective rent increase from 30 days to 60 days.
(c) Because of the increased notice requirement, housing providers who planned to
initiate rent increases between December 28, 2023, and January 27, 2024, including on January
1, cannot comply with the 60-day notice requirement.
(d) Similarly, housing providers who planned to initiate rent increases beginning
February 1, 2024, would have had to provide notice to tenants by December 1, 2023, just 3
calendar days after the law took effect.
(e) Therefore, the Council passed the Fairness in Renting Notice Clarification
Emergency Amendment Act of 2023 on December 19, 2023, to give housing providers
sufficient time to comply with the new 60-day notice requirement, but that legislation will
expire on April 9, 2024.
(f) The accompanying Fairness in Renting Notice Clarification Temporary Amendment
Act of 2023 is not projected to become law until April
12, 2024, making congressional review
emergency legislation necessary to avoid a gap in the law.
Sec. 3. The Council determines that the circumstances enumerated in section 2
constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Fairness in Renting Notice
Clarification Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2024 be adopted after a
single reading.
Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.