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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Non-DC resident or owner here:  who could possibly want to be a landlord in DC if you can't do what you want with your property within reason?  I did not know that you can't not renew a lease.  That's insane.   [/quote]

Leases last into perpetuity in DC after the first 12 months. Landlords have the option to raise the rent once per 12 month period, however all the other terms in the original lease remain intact.

You have to understand the history of DC to understand why the rental market evolved in this manner. African-Americans were discriminated against in MANY neighborhoods (both renting & buying) and many could not get a loan to buy property. In addition, much of the rental market was controlled by white slumlords who safely lived in the suburbs.

Finally, lease renewals were often a way for landlords to discriminate against people of color and force them out (even if they paid rent on time and didn't cause trouble). Back in 1940s - 70s, well-off African American families often used white "strawmen" purchasers and financial advisors to secure a home in a good white neighborhood. Landlords would use lease renewals to force these otherwise well-off families out of their home.[/quote]

Is there a cap on rent increases?  Whenever I see these posts I always think well just raise the rent by $500 and see if the tenant decides to stay.[/quote]

Is your unit is rent-controlled? If so, then yes. It's defined in the regs (core inflation + 3%, IIRC....someone can correct me if I'm wrong).

If you're not rent controlled, the tenant can still appeal a proposed rent increase to the Office of the Tenant Advocate. The language around this really squishy; I'm paraphrasing here, but the tenant can appeal if the increase is "outside the norms of the going rent for that area" or something like that. It's nebulous. Essentially, they don't want you raise the rent by 200% as a means of forcing out a tenant. But a $500 increase may be tolerated by the OTA. However, you open yourself to liability if the tenant catches you advertising the unit for significantly less than the proposed increase; it's then plainly clear that you were using the rent increase to unlawfully evict the tenant. Treble damages, blah blah blah.[/quote]

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