Reply to Possible for landlord to not renew at end of lease?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]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.  [/quote]

You can only terminate a lease if tenants break the lease, you intend to re-occupy the property, or you intend to dramatically renovate it (such that it will be uninhabitable).  Selling is not actually a reason you can terminate a lease (although the buyer can  terminate the lease if they wish to occupy).

If you're coming from a jurisdiction where landlords can do more or less whatever they want, then it's bizarre.  For a different perspective, think of DC's landlord-tenant laws as providing a default assumption that people can stay in their homes, even if those homes are rented.  DC law has been this way for going on 50 years now, so everyone knows the rules of the road when they become a landlord or tenant.

People often get confused about rent control.  If you are not subject to rent control (which, for readers of this board, you very likely will not be because it applies only to owners of more than four rental units), you can raise rent by any reasonable amount as long as it's not done for an illegal purpose.  That means, more or less, that you can always keep rent at market rate.  Just don't double rent because your tenants refused to vacate.

The DC system for small landlords more or less guarantees them market rate rent that will be paid but does not give them the ability to evict tenants at will as long as they keep up with their rent payments.[/quote]

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