As of April 7, 2017, elderly tenants and tenants with disabilities who live in rent-controlled units have new housing affordability protections. DC Law 21-239, the “Elderly Tenant and Tenant with a Disability Protection Amendment Act of 2016,” caps the annual standard rent increase for qualified tenants, without regard to the tenant’s income, at the least of the following three amounts:
- The Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA);
- The Consumer Price Index (CPI); or
- Five (5) percent of the current rent charged.
The new law also permits a tenant to register elderly or disability status by mail, fax, email, or in person at DHCD’s Rental Accommodations Division (RAD). This makes it easier for the elderly tenant or tenant with a disability to take advantage of the new protection.
View the OTA’s information sheet “What you need to know about The Elderly Tenant and Tenant with a Disability Protection Amendment Act of 2016.”