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ENROLLED ORIGINAL
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A RESOLUTION
26-132
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
June 3, 2025
To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to extend the deadline for
District housing providers to register their respective rental properties in the new
RentRegistry, and to require owners of rental accommodations that are exempt from rent
stabilization to report current and prior rent amounts for the previous 2 calendar years at
the time of registration.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
resolution may be cited as the “Rental Housing Registration Extension Emergency Declaration
Resolution of 2025”.
Sec. 2. (a) On June 2, 2025, the new RentRegistry went live, and housing providers will
be required to submit all documentation under section 203a of the Rental Housing Act of 1985,
effective October 22, 2015 (D.C. Law 21-36; § 42-3502.03c), within 90 days of the database
becoming accessible to housing providers. While housing providers are required to enter
additional information into the Department of Housing and Community Development’s
(“DHCD”) online database within 90 days, more time is needed to mitigate administrative
burdens and ensure that housing providers can provide this documentation in compliance with
the law.
(b) Within 90 days after completion of the publicly accessible rent control housing
database, housing providers must file a new registration statement and, if applicable, a new claim
of exemption for housing accommodation for which the housing provider is receiving rent or is
entitled to receive rent via the online housing provider portal;
(c) The Rental Accommodations Division has been informed by housing industry
stakeholders that housing providers do not understand the new requirements and need additional
time to ensure compliance;
(d) Some housing providers of exempt rental accommodations have expressed concern
that the Rent Administrator lacks the authority to require submission of current rent and rent
amounts from the previous 2 calendar years and argued that this requirement is burdensome;
however, this rent history data is essential to providing a comprehensive snapshot of the
District’s rental market and will only be required at the time of registration, not on a recurring
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basis. Clarifying this requirement on an emergency basis will reduce confusion, strengthen legal
authority for its collection, and support full functionality of the RentRegistry system at launch.
(e) With the amount of information required for entry into the RentRegistry, housing
providers will need more than 90 days to adjust their business practices and staffing needs;
(f) Given that the RentRegistry will not contain any information previously submitted to
the Rental Accommodations Division prior to June 2, 2025, housing providers, especially those
operating larger or multiple properties, will need additional time.
Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the circumstances
enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Rental
Housing Registration Extension Emergency Amendment Act of 2025 be adopted after a single
reading.
Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.