Bowser Unveils Suite Of Proposals To Revamp D.C. Housing Policy

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is leaving office in six months, but she’s full steam ahead on her effort to revamp the city’s housing policy. 

Bowser on Friday unveiled a package of proposed housing reforms that aim to create a "fairer, more predictable housing system that protects tenants, while giving housing providers the confidence to continue investing in our neighborhoods," she said in a press release.

The new proposals follow the passage of the Rental Act last year, a wide-ranging law aimed at reducing the city’s unprecedented levels of unpaid rent. Bowser also spearheaded that legislation, which focused on reforming D.C.'s longstanding Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, or TOPA, and the city's eviction processes.

The new legislative package — the Housing Investment Protection Act and the Illegal Occupancy Enforcement Amendment Act — includes provisions to clarify tenant and landlord rights regarding unit repairs and eviction proceedings. It would establish a 60-day hearing timeline for eviction cases.

Other provisions would make adjustments to TOPA and expand the city’s ability to support tenants financially by widening the pool of people eligible for government vouchers. 

The Illegal Occupancy Enforcement Amendment Act would adjust the city's short-term rental law to dictate that short-term guests do not have the right to remain at a property after their stay is concluded and that those staying beyond their term can be removed.

The legislation comes just weeks after Janeese Lewis George won the Democratic primary and is on track to become the city's next mayor. Lewis George has said she has committed to preserving affordable housing, expanding homeownership and lowering costs for tenants.