Rental agreements in DC - bigger rent increase if month-to-month

[Anonymous]

Wondering if anyone has any quick knowledge or advice before I spend loads of time trying to decipher rental laws... we are about to sign a lease, but our landlord has stated rent will increase 2.5% after one year IF we sign another one year lease. If not, the rent will increase by 6.5%. Is this legal in DC? I thought renters had the right to always go month-to-month without being penalized. I've rented for 13 years at 4 different properties in DC and have been fortunate enough to not have a landlord who raised rent every year or more than $50 each time. Any advice appreciated.

[Anonymous]

You have the right to continue in your rental as a month-to-month contract. You don't have the right to do month-to-month for the same price as a yearly agreement.

There are limits on how much of an increase the month-to-month contract can go for (I think its no more than 10% of your previous rent) but since they are still making the rental available to you and following the guidelines - their offer is fair.

You don't want the month-to-month, move somewhere else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wondering if anyone has any quick knowledge or advice before I spend loads of time trying to decipher rental laws... we are about to sign a lease, but our landlord has stated rent will increase 2.5% after one year IF we sign another one year lease. If not, the rent will increase by 6.5%. Is this legal in DC? I thought renters had the right to always go month-to-month without being penalized. I've rented for 13 years at 4 different properties in DC and have been fortunate enough to not have a landlord who raised rent every year or more than $50 each time. Any advice appreciated.

This is why it is so important to find a rent controlled apartment in DC. It's easy. They tell you up front. The rule of thumb is larger complexes built before 1975. Look there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wondering if anyone has any quick knowledge or advice before I spend loads of time trying to decipher rental laws... we are about to sign a lease, but our landlord has stated rent will increase 2.5% after one year IF we sign another one year lease. If not, the rent will increase by 6.5%. Is this legal in DC? I thought renters had the right to always go month-to-month without being penalized. I've rented for 13 years at 4 different properties in DC and have been fortunate enough to not have a landlord who raised rent every year or more than $50 each time. Any advice appreciated.

This is why it is so important to find a rent controlled apartment in DC. It's easy. They tell you up front. The rule of thumb is larger complexes built before 1975. Look there.

Agree. Rent controlled is the way to go. Yes, there are fewer amenities but there’s also less bullshit. Look for a building managed by WC Smith. I lived in one of their buildings and had no complaints.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wondering if anyone has any quick knowledge or advice before I spend loads of time trying to decipher rental laws... we are about to sign a lease, but our landlord has stated rent will increase 2.5% after one year IF we sign another one year lease. If not, the rent will increase by 6.5%. Is this legal in DC? I thought renters had the right to always go month-to-month without being penalized. I've rented for 13 years at 4 different properties in DC and have been fortunate enough to not have a landlord who raised rent every year or more than $50 each time. Any advice appreciated.

This is why it is so important to find a rent controlled apartment in DC. It's easy. They tell you up front. The rule of thumb is larger complexes built before 1975. Look there.

Obviously this person has a lot of experience renting, so they may already know this but the only time my friends had problems renting:

- Faulty appliances
- Rodents/vermin infestations
- Creaking floors/doors
- Bad insulation
- Elevators not working
- Mail theft
- Heat/AC conking out

...it was in a rent-controlled building. Maybe the trade-off is worth it to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wondering if anyone has any quick knowledge or advice before I spend loads of time trying to decipher rental laws... we are about to sign a lease, but our landlord has stated rent will increase 2.5% after one year IF we sign another one year lease. If not, the rent will increase by 6.5%. Is this legal in DC? I thought renters had the right to always go month-to-month without being penalized. I've rented for 13 years at 4 different properties in DC and have been fortunate enough to not have a landlord who raised rent every year or more than $50 each time. Any advice appreciated.

This is why it is so important to find a rent controlled apartment in DC. It's easy. They tell you up front. The rule of thumb is larger complexes built before 1975. Look there.

Obviously this person has a lot of experience renting, so they may already know this but the only time my friends had problems renting:

- Faulty appliances
- Rodents/vermin infestations
- Creaking floors/doors
- Bad insulation
- Elevators not working
- Mail theft
- Heat/AC conking out

...it was in a rent-controlled building. Maybe the trade-off is worth it to you.

I actually live in a rent control building. Check this out---

- Faulty appliances---nope
- Rodents/vermin infestations---nope
- Creaking floors/doors--nope
- Bad insulation---nope
- Elevators not working---nope
- Mail theft---nope
- Heat/AC conking out---nope

Again, do you even live here? You are clueless about everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Agree. Rent controlled is the way to go. Yes, there are fewer amenities but there’s also less bullshit. Look for a building managed by WC Smith. I lived in one of their buildings and had no complaints.

I live in a WC Smith building that is rent controlled and I love it. It's certainly not Class A housing but it's a great f4cking deal. I'm on a first name basis with the people on the property and they are super responsive.

[Anonymous]

This has been a feature of all of my leases in DC, except for when I lived in a rent-controlled building. We never had any of the PP’s issues, and loved living there. It was the Argonne at 16th and Columbia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wondering if anyone has any quick knowledge or advice before I spend loads of time trying to decipher rental laws... we are about to sign a lease, but our landlord has stated rent will increase 2.5% after one year IF we sign another one year lease. If not, the rent will increase by 6.5%. Is this legal in DC? I thought renters had the right to always go month-to-month without being penalized. I've rented for 13 years at 4 different properties in DC and have been fortunate enough to not have a landlord who raised rent every year or more than $50 each time. Any advice appreciated.

I would be very wary about renting from a LL who is willing to give you a better deal to sign one-year leases when unemployment is 20%. Yes, DC is slightly insulated from massive shocks in unemployment but there are tons of people here in the service industry and the aftershocks are certainly going to ripple through the DC rental market. Personally if I was just testing the market, I'd wait and would find another apartment that isn't looking to play financial hardball upfront. There are plenty of rent controlled apartments all over the city where the most you'd pay in any pct increase would be 4%. And with CPI about to crash, which DC rent control is tethered to, rent control hikes should be lower in the next few years.

[Anonymous]

Thanks all. Renting a house. Have looked for two years for a suitable place and this is about it. I’m just hoping we don’t have to move again because rent goes bonkers as it’d be pretty disruptive to my kids. I’ve lived in 5 prior places actually and 3 of them were owned by a person not bound by rent control laws. But none were so explicit and aggressive in the lease about rent hikes. Oh well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wondering if anyone has any quick knowledge or advice before I spend loads of time trying to decipher rental laws... we are about to sign a lease, but our landlord has stated rent will increase 2.5% after one year IF we sign another one year lease. If not, the rent will increase by 6.5%. Is this legal in DC? I thought renters had the right to always go month-to-month without being penalized. I've rented for 13 years at 4 different properties in DC and have been fortunate enough to not have a landlord who raised rent every year or more than $50 each time. Any advice appreciated.

This is why it is so important to find a rent controlled apartment in DC. It's easy. They tell you up front. The rule of thumb is larger complexes built before 1975. Look there.

Obviously this person has a lot of experience renting, so they may already know this but the only time my friends had problems renting:

- Faulty appliances
- Rodents/vermin infestations
- Creaking floors/doors
- Bad insulation
- Elevators not working
- Mail theft
- Heat/AC conking out

...it was in a rent-controlled building. Maybe the trade-off is worth it to you.

I actually live in a rent control building. Check this out---

- Faulty appliances---nope
- Rodents/vermin infestations---nope
- Creaking floors/doors--nope
- Bad insulation---nope
- Elevators not working---nope
- Mail theft---nope
- Heat/AC conking out---nope

Again, do you even live here? You are clueless about everything.

Or PP lives in a different building than you and has had a different experience. That’s very different than clueless.

[Anonymous]

I am in contract with an investment property that has a section8 rent set at $1075(1 bedroom) since 2012. I don't see an escalation clause in the lease so how could I get a rent increase on it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wondering if anyone has any quick knowledge or advice before I spend loads of time trying to decipher rental laws... we are about to sign a lease, but our landlord has stated rent will increase 2.5% after one year IF we sign another one year lease. If not, the rent will increase by 6.5%. Is this legal in DC? I thought renters had the right to always go month-to-month without being penalized. I've rented for 13 years at 4 different properties in DC and have been fortunate enough to not have a landlord who raised rent every year or more than $50 each time. Any advice appreciated.

I would be very wary about renting from a LL who is willing to give you a better deal to sign one-year leases when unemployment is 20%. Yes, DC is slightly insulated from massive shocks in unemployment but there are tons of people here in the service industry and the aftershocks are certainly going to ripple through the DC rental market. Personally if I was just testing the market, I'd wait and would find another apartment that isn't looking to play financial hardball upfront. There are plenty of rent controlled apartments all over the city where the most you'd pay in any pct increase would be 4%. And with CPI about to crash, which DC rent control is tethered to, rent control hikes should be lower in the next few years.

Good luck with that!

[Anonymous]

We rent out the basement apartment in our DC rowhouse and have this provision in our lease.

We have this because we rent to grad students and we want the lease to turnover every year on August 1. We prefer the stability of an annual lease. It also turnsovers at a time when lots of people are looking for housing. This minimizes the amount of time the apartment sits empty. Even before COVID, it's impossible to rent out a basement apartment in the timespan from Thanksgiving to February 1. Especially in our neighborhood where the renters are predominantly students.

If you want the flexibility of month-to-month you'll compensate me for the privilege.

BTW - our basement apartment is priced much cheaper than nearby apartments. We are also a 5 minute walk to campus. It's a nicer and more private alternative than a sloppy group house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You have the right to continue in your rental as a month-to-month contract. You don't have the right to do month-to-month for the same price as a yearly agreement.

There are limits on how much of an increase the month-to-month contract can go for (I think its no more than 10% of your previous rent) but since they are still making the rental available to you and following the guidelines - their offer is fair.

You don't want the month-to-month, move somewhere else.

+1

It's legal to charge more for a month-to-month rental than for a one-year lease. You are paying for flexibility (alternatively, the owner is rewarding you for predictability and stability).