ENROLLED ORIGINAL
A RESOLUTION
26-89
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
April 1, 2025
To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to continue existing
requirements for providers of commercial or residential rental property to abide by agreed
upon rent payment plans with eligible tenants.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution
may be cited as the “Tenant Payment Plan Phasing Emergency Declaration Resolution of
2025”.
Sec. 2. (a) As part of its response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, the
Council passed emergency and temporary legislation allowing commercial and residential tenants demonstrating financial hardship in connection with the emergency to apply for payment plans with their landlords.
(b) The Council has kept the tenant payment plan framework in place through
subsequent emergency and temporary measures. The most recent legislation is the Tenant
Payment Plan Phasing Continuation Temporary Act of 2024, effective September 18, 2024 (D.C. Law 25- 211; D.C. Official Code § 42- 3331). That measure will expire on May 1, 2025.
(c) Although eligibility to apply for payment plans pursuant to such legislation ended in
July 2022, the legislation contained tenant protections and administrative provisions, including
a 3-year application record retention provision that applies to landlords. The record -keeping
obligation was therefore intended to run through July 2025.
(d) Emergency legislation is necessary to avoid a gap in the law prior to the end of the
originally contemplated 3- year implementation timeframe.
Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the circumstances
enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Tenant
Payment Plan Phasing Emergency Act of 2025 be adopted after a single reading.
Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.