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A RESOLUTION
25-544
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
June 25, 2024
To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to amend the Rental
Housing Act of 1985 to maintain a moratorium on voluntary agreements.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution
may be cited as the “Voluntary Agreement Moratorium Emergency Declaration Resolution of
2024”.
Sec. 2. (a) Section 215 of the Rental Housing Act of 1985 (D.C. Code § 42-
3502.21) allows housing providers to enter into an agreement with 70% or more of the
tenants in a housing accommodation to establish the rent charged, to make changes to
services and facilities, and to provide for capital improvements. These agreements are
called voluntary agreements and must be filed with the Rent Administrator.
(b) In September 2020, the former Committee on Housing and Neighborhood
Revitalization held a hearing to contemplate Bill 23-878, the Voluntary Agreement
Moratorium Amendment Act of 2020, which would impose a 2-year moratorium on
voluntary agreements. According to the committee report, a majority of public
witnesses, then-Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development
Polly Donaldson, and Chief Tenant Advocate Johanna Shreve testified in support of the
moratorium; many expressed that the legislation should go further and eliminate
voluntary agreements altogether. A few testimonies stated the importance of voluntary
agreements to small landlords, though most focused on the negative impact voluntary
agreements have had on tenants’ rights and the affordable housing stock.
(c) In December 2020, the Council unanimously passed the 2-year moratorium.
Because the measure was subject to appropriations, the moratorium ultimately took
effect at the beginning of Fiscal Year 2022 on October 1, 2021, and expired on October
1, 2023.
(d) In July 2023, Councilmember Bonds introduced the Voluntary Agreement
Abolition Amendment Act of 2023, which would eliminate voluntary agreements on a
permanent basis. The Committee on Housing is currently considering this legislation
and held a hearing on the measure on March 18, 2024.
(e) In September 2023, the Council unanimously passed legislation to extend
the 2-year moratorium for one additional year to give the Council time to deliberate a
permanent legislative solution that will support tenants and minimize harm to both ENROLLED ORIGINAL
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tenants and landlords.
(f) The emergency measure is necessary to maintain the existing moratorium
and extend it through the end of the Council Period to allow passage of a permanent
measure.
Sec. 3. The Council determines that the circumstances enumerated in section 2
constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Voluntary Agreement
Moratorium Emergency Amendment Act of 2024 be adopted after a single reading.
Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.