(Washington, DC) - On February 25, 2011, the Rental Housing Commission published the new CPI-W that governs the standard annual rent increase for units under rent control.  The new CPI-W figure is 2.2 percent.  The new 2.2 percent CPI-W will apply to rent increases that take effect in “rent control year 2011” which begins on May 1, 2011, and ends on April 30, 2012.

Under the rent control law, the maximum “standard” or annual rent increase (also called the rent adjustment of general applicability) for elderly tenants and tenants with disabilities is equal to the relevant CPI-W percentage.  For all other tenants it is  CPI + 2 percent.  Thus, in rent control year 2011, the maximum amount for a standard rent increase for elderly tenants and tenants with disabilities will be 2.2 percent of the current rent charged.  For all other tenants, the maximum amount for a standard rent increase will be 4.2 percent of the current rent charged.  For any rent increase that is greater than these amounts, the housing provider must file a petition with the Rent Administrator (for a capital improvement, economic hardship, increase in services and facilities, substantial rehabilitation, or voluntary agreement) and tenants are entitled to be heard.

Each year, the RHC calculates the “rent control” CPI by averaging 6 bi-monthly CPI-W percentages for the Washington DC-Baltimore (DC, MD, VA, WV) Metropolitan area, as reported by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics during the previous calendar year. 

Click here to see History of DC Rent Control CPI-W

Click here to see RHC Notice of Rent Control Increase of General Applicability