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RHC publishes Rent Increase Caps for Rent Control Year 2023: 5% for elderly/disability tenants; 8.9% for all other tenants

Friday, February 10, 2023

The Rental Housing Commission (RHC) has published the 2023 change in the regional consumer price index for urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W). This figure is used to calculate the maximum standard annual rent increase for any rental unit under rent control. 
To view the RHC's Notice, go to the following link and hit "View text" after "Notice File": District of Columbia Municipal Regulations and District of Columbia Register

The following will apply in rent control year 2023 (May 1, 2023, to April 30, 2024):

  • 5% cap for elderly / disability tenants: If a rent-controlled unit is occupied by an elderly tenant or a tenant with a disability, the maximum standard rent increase will be 5%. To qualify for this lower rent increase cap, the tenant must have registered his or her elderly or disability status with the Rent Administrator. (Where 5% is lower than the CPI-W (6.9%) and the SS COLA (8.7%), 5% is the maximum annual rent adjustment for elderly tenants and tenants with a disability.)

  • 8.9% cap for all other tenants:  For all other rent-controlled (non-elderly/without disability) units, the maximum standard rent increase will be 8.9% (CPI-W + 2%). (The 2023 CPI-W will be 6.9% – an increase of 2.7% over the 4.2% CPI for rent control year 2022 (which ends April 30, 2023). The new CPI will apply to standard rent increases that become effective during rent control year 2023.

  • Qualification for elderly / disability surcharge protection:  Elderly tenants and tenants with a disability who are registered with the Rent Administrator as lower income are also exempt from rent surcharges due to housing provider petitions that have been approved by the government. To qualify, household income cannot exceed $85,400 for a family of four, plus or minus $8,550 for each additional or fewer person in the household.