News

Final Approval for Graham Illegal Evictions Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Alan Heymann
(202) 724-8031

Washington, DC – The DC Council voted unanimously today to permanently stop the unlawful eviction of unsuspecting tenants – whose apartments would then become luxury condominiums.

The bill, authored by Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward One), is similar to emergency legislation the Council passed in December.

“We had an investigation. Subpoenas. Hours of hearings,” said Councilmember Graham. “Now we’ve passed a permanent bill to make sure these evictions never happen again.”

District housing law allows landlords to repair violations of the housing code and to fix serious health hazards such as mold and asbestos – and to receive permission from the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) to vacate a building if the tenants would not be safe during the repair. In these scenarios, the tenants have an absolute right to return to their apartments at the same rent as before, as well as the right to moving expenses paid by the landlord.

During several roundtables chaired by Councilmember Graham, the Committee on Consumer and Regulatory Affairs heard testimony from tenants who were asked to sign these rights away for a pittance, while the Rent Administrator at DCRA approved the proposals to vacate several DC buildings based on asbestos remediation plans for a building in Leesburg, Va.

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