Possible for landlord to not renew at end of lease?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you registered as exempt from rent control with the RAD? If not, you are rent controlled.

Not sure where people are getting the it has to be reasonable or CPI rules, if you are not subject to rent control. Cites? Because from what I can see, the cap is only subject to your lease agreement, which probably doesn't specify.

Because that is the law in DC. Even if you are not rent controlled, even if you are month to month, the landlord can only raise the rent once a month and only to what the market can bear (market rent).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like you can only terminate a rental if the tenants do something to break the lease or if you actually are going to sell the place. Is that right?

I don't live in DC but this really sounds bizarre to me.

That is not correct. You cannot terminate the lease if you are going to sell the place.

Correct, you can only terminate if you yourself or moving back in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can't you just say you are selling the house and moving and they need to be out?

NO. All these people who DONT live in DC need to stop ignorantly commenting on dc landlord tenant law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like you can only terminate a rental if the tenants do something to break the lease or if you actually are going to sell the place. Is that right?

I don't live in DC but this really sounds bizarre to me.

That is not correct. You cannot terminate the lease if you are going to sell the place.

Correct, you can only terminate if you yourself or moving back in.

or for renovation, demolition, discontinued housing use (with 180 days' notice)...https://www.thelpa.com/Washington-DC-TenantGuide.pdf has good info (though some of the TOPA rules have changed since it was published). But no, you can't make people who are paying their rent and following the lease move out just because you'd rather have different tenants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you registered as exempt from rent control with the RAD? If not, you are rent controlled.

Not sure where people are getting the it has to be reasonable or CPI rules, if you are not subject to rent control. Cites? Because from what I can see, the cap is only subject to your lease agreement, which probably doesn't specify.

Because that is the law in DC. Even if you are not rent controlled, even if you are month to month, the landlord can only raise the rent once a month and only to what the market can bear (market rent).

No cite for what the market can bear. Agree it can’t be retaliatory. Even assuming that the limit is what the market can bear, who knows what the market can bear. Things are overpriced all the time. If OP is registered as exempt from rent control with RAD, which I doubt based on not seeming to know much about LT law, she can just …aim high of market. Sometimes price cuts are necessary, you know. Problem solved.

She wouldn’t be alone. All the lease takeovers I’m looking at now in big buildings are priced at 10-20% less than if I sign a new lease. There are a lot of vacant units in those buildings. But the area is seeing big rent hikes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you registered as exempt from rent control with the RAD? If not, you are rent controlled.

Not sure where people are getting the it has to be reasonable or CPI rules, if you are not subject to rent control. Cites? Because from what I can see, the cap is only subject to your lease agreement, which probably doesn't specify.

Because that is the law in DC. Even if you are not rent controlled, even if you are month to month, the landlord can only raise the rent once a month and only to what the market can bear (market rent).

No cite for what the market can bear. Agree it can’t be retaliatory. Even assuming that the limit is what the market can bear, who knows what the market can bear. Things are overpriced all the time. If OP is registered as exempt from rent control with RAD, which I doubt based on not seeming to know much about LT law, she can just …aim high of market. Sometimes price cuts are necessary, you know. Problem solved.

She wouldn’t be alone. All the lease takeovers I’m looking at now in big buildings are priced at 10-20% less than if I sign a new lease. There are a lot of vacant units in those buildings. But the area is seeing big rent hikes.

How does one get registered to be exempt? We are moving overseas for a few years in late 2022 and will be renting out our house (in the past, we've only rented out our English basement on a short-term basis).

A multi-year lease makes me think we should get this settled. That said, we probably wouldn't raise the rent more than 2-4% each year since we want someone who will stay for 2-3 years until our return to DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you registered as exempt from rent control with the RAD? If not, you are rent controlled.

Not sure where people are getting the it has to be reasonable or CPI rules, if you are not subject to rent control. Cites? Because from what I can see, the cap is only subject to your lease agreement, which probably doesn't specify.

Because that is the law in DC. Even if you are not rent controlled, even if you are month to month, the landlord can only raise the rent once a month and only to what the market can bear (market rent).

No cite for what the market can bear. Agree it can’t be retaliatory. Even assuming that the limit is what the market can bear, who knows what the market can bear. Things are overpriced all the time. If OP is registered as exempt from rent control with RAD, which I doubt based on not seeming to know much about LT law, she can just …aim high of market. Sometimes price cuts are necessary, you know. Problem solved.

She wouldn’t be alone. All the lease takeovers I’m looking at now in big buildings are priced at 10-20% less than if I sign a new lease. There are a lot of vacant units in those buildings. But the area is seeing big rent hikes.

How does one get registered to be exempt? We are moving overseas for a few years in late 2022 and will be renting out our house (in the past, we've only rented out our English basement on a short-term basis).

A multi-year lease makes me think we should get this settled. That said, we probably wouldn't raise the rent more than 2-4% each year since we want someone who will stay for 2-3 years until our return to DC.

Different poster here, and a landlord. If you get good tenants, don't raise the rent at all. It is worth passing up a few hundred bucks a month to have good, happy tenants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you registered as exempt from rent control with the RAD? If not, you are rent controlled.

Not sure where people are getting the it has to be reasonable or CPI rules, if you are not subject to rent control. Cites? Because from what I can see, the cap is only subject to your lease agreement, which probably doesn't specify.

Because that is the law in DC. Even if you are not rent controlled, even if you are month to month, the landlord can only raise the rent once a month and only to what the market can bear (market rent).

No cite for what the market can bear. Agree it can’t be retaliatory. Even assuming that the limit is what the market can bear, who knows what the market can bear. Things are overpriced all the time. If OP is registered as exempt from rent control with RAD, which I doubt based on not seeming to know much about LT law, she can just …aim high of market. Sometimes price cuts are necessary, you know. Problem solved.

She wouldn’t be alone. All the lease takeovers I’m looking at now in big buildings are priced at 10-20% less than if I sign a new lease. There are a lot of vacant units in those buildings. But the area is seeing big rent hikes.

How does one get registered to be exempt? We are moving overseas for a few years in late 2022 and will be renting out our house (in the past, we've only rented out our English basement on a short-term basis).

A multi-year lease makes me think we should get this settled. That said, we probably wouldn't raise the rent more than 2-4% each year since we want someone who will stay for 2-3 years until our return to DC.

Different poster here, and a landlord. If you get good tenants, don't raise the rent at all. It is worth passing up a few hundred bucks a month to have good, happy tenants.

PP here:
Agreed! That's why I'm not sure if its even worth trying to get the RAD rent control exemption - we likely won't push up against the rent control limits (if we increase the rent at all); we have an end date; and we will provide the 90 day notice before our bone fide return to reclaim the house in NW DC.

Not sure if the juice is worth the squeeze to jump thru RAD's hoops.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you registered as exempt from rent control with the RAD? If not, you are rent controlled.

Not sure where people are getting the it has to be reasonable or CPI rules, if you are not subject to rent control. Cites? Because from what I can see, the cap is only subject to your lease agreement, which probably doesn't specify.

Because that is the law in DC. Even if you are not rent controlled, even if you are month to month, the landlord can only raise the rent once a month and only to what the market can bear (market rent).

No cite for what the market can bear. Agree it can’t be retaliatory. Even assuming that the limit is what the market can bear, who knows what the market can bear. Things are overpriced all the time. If OP is registered as exempt from rent control with RAD, which I doubt based on not seeming to know much about LT law, she can just …aim high of market. Sometimes price cuts are necessary, you know. Problem solved.

She wouldn’t be alone. All the lease takeovers I’m looking at now in big buildings are priced at 10-20% less than if I sign a new lease. There are a lot of vacant units in those buildings. But the area is seeing big rent hikes.

How does one get registered to be exempt? We are moving overseas for a few years in late 2022 and will be renting out our house (in the past, we've only rented out our English basement on a short-term basis).

A multi-year lease makes me think we should get this settled. That said, we probably wouldn't raise the rent more than 2-4% each year since we want someone who will stay for 2-3 years until our return to DC.

Different poster here, and a landlord. If you get good tenants, don't raise the rent at all. It is worth passing up a few hundred bucks a month to have good, happy tenants.

PP here:
Agreed! That's why I'm not sure if its even worth trying to get the RAD rent control exemption - we likely won't push up against the rent control limits (if we increase the rent at all); we have an end date; and we will provide the 90 day notice before our bone fide return to reclaim the house in NW DC.

Not sure if the juice is worth the squeeze to jump thru RAD's hoops.

It's not that hard--it's like one form. You need a BBL from DCRA first, but you'd want that either way. https://dcra.dc.gov/page/rental-housing-business has some info. You can also hire a property manager who should be able to talk you through it (if they don't know the rules, you shouldn't be hiring them anyway).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you registered as exempt from rent control with the RAD? If not, you are rent controlled.

Not sure where people are getting the it has to be reasonable or CPI rules, if you are not subject to rent control. Cites? Because from what I can see, the cap is only subject to your lease agreement, which probably doesn't specify.

Because that is the law in DC. Even if you are not rent controlled, even if you are month to month, the landlord can only raise the rent once a month and only to what the market can bear (market rent).

No cite for what the market can bear. Agree it can’t be retaliatory. Even assuming that the limit is what the market can bear, who knows what the market can bear. Things are overpriced all the time. If OP is registered as exempt from rent control with RAD, which I doubt based on not seeming to know much about LT law, she can just …aim high of market. Sometimes price cuts are necessary, you know. Problem solved.

She wouldn’t be alone. All the lease takeovers I’m looking at now in big buildings are priced at 10-20% less than if I sign a new lease. There are a lot of vacant units in those buildings. But the area is seeing big rent hikes.

How does one get registered to be exempt? We are moving overseas for a few years in late 2022 and will be renting out our house (in the past, we've only rented out our English basement on a short-term basis).

A multi-year lease makes me think we should get this settled. That said, we probably wouldn't raise the rent more than 2-4% each year since we want someone who will stay for 2-3 years until our return to DC.

Different poster here, and a landlord. If you get good tenants, don't raise the rent at all. It is worth passing up a few hundred bucks a month to have good, happy tenants.

PP here:
Agreed! That's why I'm not sure if its even worth trying to get the RAD rent control exemption - we likely won't push up against the rent control limits (if we increase the rent at all); we have an end date; and we will provide the 90 day notice before our bone fide return to reclaim the house in NW DC.

Not sure if the juice is worth the squeeze to jump thru RAD's hoops.

Sure. I mean, if you don't register for a BBL, and as register as exempt, realize that I would not be paying any rent increases, period, because you cannot legally increase the rent. I would also be leaving my security deposit as my last or second-to-second to last month's rent, because you would be unable to do anything about it. I would also feel free to break the lease whenever I wanted. You would also be unable to sue me, period, until you got a BBL. Find tenants who are educated enough to have good jobs but not educated enough to know their rights and you'll be fine.

I'm actually looking to sign a 12 month lease with a landlord who isn't properly registered, because we might want to leave early because we're house hunting. You open?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you registered as exempt from rent control with the RAD? If not, you are rent controlled.

Not sure where people are getting the it has to be reasonable or CPI rules, if you are not subject to rent control. Cites? Because from what I can see, the cap is only subject to your lease agreement, which probably doesn't specify.

Because that is the law in DC. Even if you are not rent controlled, even if you are month to month, the landlord can only raise the rent once a month and only to what the market can bear (market rent).

Hi I wrote this and it has a typo. Landlords can only raise rent once a year, even if you are month to month

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can't you just say you are selling the house and moving and they need to be out?

NO. All these people who DONT live in DC need to stop ignorantly commenting on dc landlord tenant law.

That wasn't a comment it was a question, and people who like to be nasty for no reason need to shut up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What you read in the previous thread is true.

In D.C., once the lease period ends, the lease automatically goes month-to-month. All the other parts of the lease remain the same (including the rent amount, unless you give the tenant proper written notice of a rent increase).

If you really don't like them cash for keys may be in your future.

OP here. Thank you. Unfortunately, this is what I thought was going to be the case. We'll figure something out, I'm sure. And it's definitely a good lesson for me going forward...

Your lease probably stipulates something like "30 days notice for any changes". Use that 30 days notice.

Notice that they can go month to month?

Yes and there are usually still 30 day notices in there.

[Anonymous]

Give them notice that you plan to renovate and then go in and paint, which counts as a renovation. There are ways to get around this pretty easily, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Give them notice that you plan to renovate and then go in and paint, which counts as a renovation. There are ways to get around this pretty easily, OP.

In DC, the landlord is obligated to offer the renovated home to the tenant(s) they displaced at the new post-renovation rent price (unless the landlord is reclaiming the house for personal use). So yeah, a savvy tenant could come back an sue if you try to rent it to someone else first.