Mayor Bowser Proposes Rebalancing Expectations for Neighbors, Tenants and Landlords (RENTAL) Act

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser introduced the Rebalancing Expectations for Neighbors, Tenants and Landlords (RENTAL) Act of 2025 on Feb. 12, 2025.

The RENTAL Act seeks to protect the District's existing affordable housing, support the production of new affordable housing and improve the overall system to work better for tenants and housing providers alike. A summary of key components of the legislation follows:

• Increase Local Rent Supplement Program (LRSP). Allows more units to be eligible for project-based LRSP vouchers by modifying program eligibility to allow up to 50 percent Area Medium Income (AMI) versus 30 percent AMI
• Reform the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). Makes permanent the provisions of the emergency legislation; ensures ERAP is sustainable and able to help those it was designed to help by removing the required stay of eviction proceedings in ERAP cases and modifying self-attestation
• Strengthen Tenant Safety Protections. Authorizes eviction if a tenant or other occupant of a rental unit is arrested or charged with a violent offense that occurred in or adjacent to the housing accommodation
• Streamline Court Process Timelines. Modifies eviction timelines to be consistent with pre-pandemic timelines and neighboring jurisdictions and provides a fair and predictable eviction process
• Protect the District's Ability to Support Affordable Housing. Makes permanent the D.C. Council's legislation clarifying that the District is not liable for damages as a lender when supporting affordable housing projects
• Preserve D.C. Housing Authority Stabilization and Reform (STAR) Board. Keeps the District of Columbia Housing Authority's (DCHA) temporary STAR Board in effect to provide consistent and sustained leadership to deliver housing that residents deserve
• Ensure D.C. Can Build More Housing in the Future. Establishes that investing in the District is a safe bet to combat uncertainty that risks future production of housing, including affordable housing
• Modernize the Tenants Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA). Focuses TOPA toward preventing displacement by ensuring that naturally occurring affordable housing is protected; reforms TOPA to clarify which transactions are eligible and that tenants are aware of their TOPA rights
• Reposition Vacant Properties into Affordable Housing. Restores the District's Department of Housing and Community Development's (DHCD) authority to acquire and reposition vacant properties to increase investment in communities and create more opportunities for affordable housing developments
• Maximize Impact of Affordable Housing Funding Programs. Implements technical measures to ensure DHCD can utilize the District's tax credits for affordable housing projects

If you have any questions regarding the RENTAL Act, please contact the authors or another member of Holland & Knight's D.C. and Northern Virginia Land Use Team.